The effort of pushing blood through these damaged arteries severely overworks the left side of your heart, the ventricle where the "new" blood is pumped out. To pump harder and create more force, the ventricle's muscle tissue gets thicker, a condition called left ventricular hypertrophy. But the heart's larger, thicker walls make it more difficult for the ventricle to expand and completely fill up with blood. Over time, the extra strain on your heart can cause the heart muscle to weaken, leading to heart failure.
In addition, the hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the heart can cause a sharp pain or pressure in your chest called angina. Angina usually occurs when your heart isn't getting enough oxygen, often while you're exercising or doing another strenuous activity. While painful, angina can be useful because it alerts people to the fact that they have a heart problem. But not everyone gets this warning sign. Silent ischemia is when you don't feel the effects of your arteries narrowing.
The most dramatic of all results of cardiovascular disease, a heart attack, happens when part of the heart dies. Heart attacks, also called myocardial infarctions, happen most often when a blood vessel from the heart, already narrowed by arteriosclerosis, is suddenly and completely blocked. The blockage can be a blood clot, a muscle spasm, or a large amount of fatty buildup.
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