What you need to know about ischemic heart disease

Medical experts recently expressed concern over the rise of ischemic heart disease in Nigeria and stated that a major problem is lack of awareness.

Ischemic heart disease is a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when a part of the heart does not receive enough blood. This condition occurs most often during exertion or excitement, when the heart requires greater blood flow. Ischemic heart disease is also called coronary heart disease.

As the heart is the pump that supplies oxygenated blood to the various organs, any defect in the heart immediately affects the supply of oxygen to the vital organs like the brain, kidneys, liver, etc. This leads to the death of tissue within these organs and their eventual failure. Ischemic Heart Disease is the most common cause of death in many countries around the world.

Symptoms

Ischemic heart disease reduces the flow of blood to the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen to the heart. This reduction in blood flow may result in a number of symptoms, which can vary in intensity among individuals.

Usually those suffering from this condition experience acute chest pain. It can be associated with acute coronary syndrome, unstable angina or myocardial infarction. Heart failure has to do with difficulty in breathing or swelling of the extremities due to weakness of the heart muscle. The sufferer may feel like gas or indigestion (more common in women) which occurs when the heart must work harder, usually during physical exertion

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition:

In some cases, ischemic heart disease can be life threatening, with symptoms including: chest pain, typically on the left side of the body (angina pectoris), clammy skin, nausea with or without vomiting, pain in the neck or jaw, rapid breathing (tachypnea) or shortness of breath, shoulder or arm pain.

Causes of ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease is caused by a decrease in blood flow through one or more of the blood vessels that carry oxygen to your heart (coronary arteries). When blood flow is reduced, the heart muscle does not receive the amount of oxygen it needs to function properly.

Ischemic heart disease may develop slowly, as plaque builds up over time, or it may occur quickly if an artery is suddenly blocked. For this reason, ischemic heart disease occurs most frequently in people who have atherosclerosis (build-up of plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries), blood clots, coronary artery spasm, or severe illnesses that increase the heart’s need for oxygen.

Risk factors for ischemic heart disease:

A number of factors increase the risk of developing ischemic heart disease and this include smoking, diabetes mellitus, cholesterol levels and obesity.

Experts say those with hypercholesterolemia have a much higher tendency to develop the disease as well as those with hypertension. Stress and genetics also play a role.

Reducing your risk of ischemic heart disease:

To lower your risks, experts recommend carefully managing diabetes, getting regular physical activity, keeping your cholesterol at healthy levels and maintaining normal blood pressure. Quitting smoking and other tobacco use have also been helpful.

Treatment

Several diagnostic tests are conducted to establish ischemia and drug therapy is commonly used for treatment. Surgical procedures are not often used in treating the disease. However, severe symptoms that are not relieved by medication alone are treated with surgical procedures.

Anthonia Obokoh