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Ischemic Heart Disease, also known as Coronary Artery Disease, is a condition that involves the accumulation of fatty deposits within the cells that line the walls of the arteries. There are two main coronary arteries that lead to the heart and provide its main source of blood. When these arteries are gradually suffused with a slow build-up of fatty deposits, it narrows these blood supply passages in a process known as atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis not only impedes the supply of blood to the heart, it also hardens the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis eventually leads to ischemia, a condition wherein the heart muscle becomes deprived of oxygen-rich blood, which results in damage to the heart muscle and a possible occlusion of the blood vessels. When this occurs, a person may suffer from a myocardial infarction, more infamously known as a heart attack.
There are as many as 4 million Americans who have Ischemic Heart Disease or experience episodes of ischemia without being aware of it. Some cases of ischemia are asymptomatic, and there is a complete absence of pain. These cases are known as silent ischemia, and may give rise to a heart attack without any warning signs at all. Silent ischemia is prevalent among people suffering from angina, those who have had a history of heart attack, or people suffering from diabetes.
Ischemic Heart Disease is one of the most common causes of cardiovascular disease and a leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths annually. It affects more men than women and occurs between the ages of 35 and 55 years for both sexes. There are about 14 million people who suffer from Ischemic Heart Disease in the country, and are at a higher risk for contracting angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death.
Ischemic Heart Disease has been known to develop due to several risk factors such as having high cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus and smoking. People who suffer from high blood cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia have a higher degree of risk for developing ischemia.
Other risk factors that may cause Ischemic Heart Disease are hypertension, genetic and hereditary factors, menopause, and stress.
Some of the complications arising from this condition include angina pectoris, or angina. This disorder is characterized by chest pain just underneath the breastbone. The pain is a result of a lack of oxygen to the heart caused by the plaque deposits irregularly lining the coronary arteries. Angina pectoris may be mild or intense, lasting up to several minutes at a time. There are approximately 350,000 cases of angina in the United States each year.
A person with Ischemic Heart Disease may also experience acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. This occurs when the fatty deposits lining the coronary arteries develop a blood clot. This blood clot presents prevents the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, and when this happens, a portion of the heart muscle may die, causing a heart attack. A person who has had a heart attack will bear a scar or fibrosis on the heart muscle, impairing the heart’s blood-pumping ability to some degree.
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