Encyclopedia > Ischaemic heart disease

  Article Content

Ischaemic heart disease

Ischaemic heart disease is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart. It is the most common cause of death in most western countries.

Ischaemia means a "reduced blood supply". The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle and no alternative blood supply exists, so a blockage in the coronary arteries reduces the supply of blood to heart muscle.

Most ischaemic heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis.

What is it?

  • Initially there is narrowing of coronary arteries causing angina.
  • The narrowing is mostly caused by fatty plaques lining the wall of the artery.
  • Sometimes a fatty plaque will rupture leading to a heart attack. (Heart attacks caused by simple narrowing are relatively uncommon).
  • A heart attack causes damage to heart muscle by cutting off its blood supply.

This can cause:

Prevention. Prevent or delay atherosclerosis.

  • Do not smoke.
  • Treat hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Exercise regularly (Exercising the heart muscle strengthens it, like any other)
  • Avoid obesity: a large body puts unnecessary strain on the heart and increases serum cholesterol and triglycerides[?].
  • Avoid excess saturated fat in the diet. Some unsaturated fats may be beneficial in reducing the risk of heart disease when consumed in moderation. Dietary cholesterol is shown to have a modest effect on serum cholesterol.
  • Take cholesterol reducing drugs.

Treatment of a heart attack. Which of these options are required depends on the situation.

After a heart attack

  • Possible cardiac surgery.
  • Possibly the regular administration of anti-coagulants to prevent further arrhythmias
  • Possibly the regular administration of drugs to control heart rhythm.
  • Increase exercise within limits of safety (see prevention) to train the heart.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Urethra

... urine to the outside, and also a reproductive function in the male, as a passage for sperm. The external urethral sphincter is the skeletal muscle that allows voluntary ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 70.8 ms