Definition
A medical condition in which the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become narrowed or blocked by a buildup of fatty deposits, reducing blood flow to the heart and increasing the risk of chest pain, heart attack, or sudden incapacitation.
Plain English
A disease where the small arteries feeding the heart get clogged up, so the heart muscle does not get enough blood. It can cause chest pain or a heart attack.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA medical certification discussions, especially when a pilot reports a heart condition or a history of heart treatment on a medical application.
Derivation
‘Coronary’ comes from the Latin corona, meaning ‘crown,’ because the arteries supplying the heart wrap around it like a crown. So ‘coronary heart disease’ is literally disease of the crown-shaped arteries on the heart.
Why Pilots Care
It is a disqualifying condition for an FAA medical certificate and carries risk of sudden incapacitation in flight.
Grounding Statement
The key idea is reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, which can make a pilot unsafe to fly if symptoms occur in flight.
Intuition Check
Coronary heart disease does not only mean a past heart attack. It can also mean narrowed heart arteries that may not cause obvious symptoms yet but still matter for medical certification.
Example Sentence 1
After his coronary heart disease diagnosis, the pilot grounded himself and began the FAA special issuance process.
Example Sentence 2
After diagnosis of coronary heart disease, the pilot worked with an aviation medical examiner to determine eligibility for a special issuance certificate.