Ischemia - A Form Of Coronary Heart Disease
Verlyn Ross
Ischemia is not a familiar term to many. This article is an
attempt to explain it and to clarify it.
Ischemia is a form of coronary heart disease that occurs when fat
deposits and plaque serve to narrow the interior of an artery to
such a severe point that the heart is not able to receive enough
oxygen-rich blood for its purposes and is therefore deprived. In
as simple terms as possible, ischemia is a restriction in blood
supply. What ends up happening is the heart muscle cramps. In
this way then, ischemia that takes place in the heart is very
much like getting a severe cramp in your leg, only cramping of
the heart is more serious than cramping that occurs in the leg
area.
Ischemia usually takes place when the heart is in need of an
extra supply of oxygen. This is most likely to take place when
there is a great deal of physical activity or exertion such as
during weight training or practically any form of exercise, when
a person is eating, when an individual is either very excited or
under a great deal of stress and when a person is exposed to
extreme temperatures, such as the very cold. Coronary artery
disease can become so severe that ischemia can begin to take
place even when a person is in a resting state.
Sometimes ischemia can be relieved quickly and easily and other
times, or for some individuals it takes much longer. When it can
be dealt with and gotten out of the way in a reasonably speedy
span of time, such as within a 10 minute period with the help of
either bed rest or medicine then it is sometimes given the name
"stable coronary heart disease" or in other cases simply called,
"stable angina."
When blood vessels are blocked or become constricted due to
ischemia what takes place is angina pectoris. This condition can
occur for a number of reasons. It can take place as a result of
tachycardia, which is an abnormally fast heartbeat, or due to
thromboembolism, which are blood clots. Angina pectoris can also
take place due to atherosclerosis, which is defined as "lipid-
laden plaques obstructing the lumen of arteries", and
hypotension, which is the technical name for low blood pressure,
which is likely to occur in cases of heart failure or septic
shock.
But there are still other reasons why angina pectoris in relation
to ischemia could take place. A tumor could cause outside
compression or pressure on a blood vessel, which could bring
about the problem. There could be foreign bodies in existence
that could cause the problem, such as in the case of a pregnant
woman, amniotic fluid that is in evidence within an amniotic
fluid embolism. Finally angina pectoris could also occur as a
result of sickle cell disease, which constitutes hemoglobin that
is shaped abnormally.
Due to the fact that oxygen is connected to hemoglobin in all red
blood cells, when there is an inadequate flow of blood the tissue
then becomes hypoxic and in extreme cases, with no oxygen supply
whatsoever, it becomes anoxic. A state of anoxic can lead to the
death of cells, which is known as necrosis. When necrosis occurs
as a result of ischemic it generally takes anywhere from 10 to 12
hours to occur.
Verlyn Ross owns and operates a website dedicated specifically to providing
health and fitness information. It includes a wealth of free articles in
which you may have an interest. For a great place to get Answers, go here!
http://www.achieve-health-fitness.com
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