Risk Factors Of Ischemic Heart Disease

By Keysha Karina

Ischemic Heart Disease we can include people with personal or family history of:
~heart attack (myocardial infarction)-when a part of heart muscle is permanently damaged or actually dies because there’s not enough oxygen.
~unstable angina-is an intermediary between myocardial infarction and stable angina.It’s manifestation is a severe chest pain that lasts more than stable angina and it doesn’t respond very well to medication.
~angina-is a chest discomfort which occurs when the coronary vessels receive an inadequate blood flow.
~atherosclerosis-occurs when fatty material deposite into the arteries walls. This can lead to a blockage of the arteries.

Other risk factors for Ischemic Heart Disease are:
~hypertension (high blood pressure)- blood pressure can vary with activity and with age, but a healthy adult who is resting generally has a systolic pressure reading between 120 and 130 and a diastolic pressure reading between 80 and 90 (or below).
~diabetes-heart problems are the leading cause of death among people with diabetes, especially in the case of non-insulin-dependent diabetes also known as Type II diabetes.

~high blood cholesterol-cholesterol is a fat-like substance carried in your blood.It can be found in all of your body’s cells. The liver produces all of the cholesterol your body needs to form cell membranes and to make certain hormones. Extra cholesterol enters your body when you eat foods that come from animals (meats, eggs,and other similar products).

~obesity and overweight- extra weight leads to increased total cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Obesity increases your chances of developing other risk factors for heart disease, especially high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes.

~smoking- It’s well known that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer, but few people know that it also increases the risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease (disease in the vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs). Smoking also raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke in people who already have high blood pressure.

~birth control pills-At the beginning birth control pills contained high levels of estrogen and progestin, and taking these pills increased the chances of heart disease and stroke, especially in women older than 35 who smoked. In our days the dose of hormones contained in these pills has been lowered and they are considered safe for women younger than 35, who do not smoke or have high blood pressure.

~physical inactivity- people who exercise regularly have a lower risk of heart attack than people who are not active. Exercise burns calories, may lower blood pressure and helps to control cholesterol levels and diabetes. In addition to this exercise makes the arteries more flexible and strengthens the heart muscle.

For more information about Ischemic Heart Disease you can visit our site Ischemia, find how to prevent ischemic heart disease and to treat ischemia.

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Heart Attack Statistics

By Eric Hartwell

Heart attacks are a common form of ischemic heart disease. The World Health Organization estimated in the year 2002 that over twelve percent of all worldwide deaths arose as a result of ischemic heart disease. In developed countries, it is the leading cause of death. In developing countries, however it comes third behind AIDS and lower respiratory infections.

Heart attacks, known by their medical name of acute myocardial infarction, is a state of disease that involves the interruption of the bloody supply to part of the heart. The result is a shortage of oxygen that can damage the heart tissue and potentially kill. Heart attacks are the leading cause of death all over the world. Major heart attack risk factors include a history of angina or vascular disease, a previous stroke or heart attack, old age, excessive alcohol, the abuse of illegal drugs, smoking, episodes of abnormal heart beat, obesity, high levels of stress, high or low cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Heart disease forms the leading cause of death in the United States – it is even more common than cancer. An estimated one fifth of all deaths in America come as a result of coronary heart disease. Over thirteen million individuals across the nation suffer from coronary heart disease. Every year, over a million people suffer from coronary heart attacks; four out of every ten individuals die from their attacks.

Symptoms of heart attacks include anxiety, a feeling of impending doom, chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, and vomiting. Oftentimes, heart attack patients will feel sick very suddenly. The symptoms for heart attacks in men are often different from the symptoms in women. Women most often experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and a feeling of weakness. About one third of all heart attacks are silent and do not consist of any chest pain or associated symptoms.

Below, you will find some recent statistics for heart attacks in the United States.

452,327: the number of deaths due to heart attacks in the United States in the year 2004.

20: the percentage of all deaths due to heart attacks in the United States in the year 2004.

1.2 million: the average number of heart attacks that occur each year.

38: the percentage of all those who die from a coronary heart attack.

15.8 million: the number of heart attack patients who survive.

8.9 million: the estimated amount of angina patients in the United States.

400,000: the number of new angina cases each year in the United States.

233,000: the number of women who died from cardiovascular disease each year.

14 million: the number of Americans afflicted with some form of heart disease or angina.

50: the percentage of deaths that occur one hour after a heart attack when not treated.

60 billion: the amount of dollars spent on heart attack treatment and prevention each year.

20: every 20 seconds, a new heart attack occurs somewhere in America.

60: every minute, another heart attack death occurs.

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Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Hartwell

               

Coronary or Ischaemic Heart Disease

By Eric Hartwell

Coronary Heart Disease is also known as atherosclerotic heart disease, coronary artery disease, and ischaemic heart disease. It comes about as the result of atheromatous plaques clogging the arteries that supply the heart’s muscle, which is known as the myocardium. The symptoms of coronary heart disease often do not reveal themselves until several decades after the fact, oftentimes in the result of a severe heart attack. After years of accumulation the plaques can rupture, and thus limit the amount of blood that flows to the heart muscle, resulting in the heart attack. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of sudden death. For men and women of advanced age, it is the most common cause of death.

When it comes to heart disease, atherosclerotic heart disease entails a wide spectrum. At one end you have asymptomatic people whose disease is characterized by atheromatous streaks inside the walls of the coronary arteries. The streaks do not obstruct the blood flow, but rather represent the earliest stage of atherosclerotic heart disease. During this phase of the disease, a coronary angiogram may or may not show any signs that it is present. This is due to the fact that the coronary artery’s lumen has not decreased in caliber.

As the years pass, the streaks will increase, becoming thicker and thicker. First the atheromatous plaques expand into the artery walls; then they expand in to the lumen of the vessel. This affects the blood flow through the arteries. Initially, it was thought that atheromatous plaques grow via a slow process. But in recent years, it has been learned that the buildup of plaque might be complimented by small ruptures that cause a sudden increase in plaque owing to the accumulation of thrombus material.

When less than seventy percent of the vessel’s diameter is obstructed, symptoms of obstructive coronary artery disease will rarely appear. It is when over seventy percent of the vessel’s diameter is obstructed by atheromatous plaques that the person will begin developing symptoms. This stage is called ischemic heart disease. These signs start to make themselves felt during times when the heart is given an increased workload. Exertional angina and decreased exercise tolerance count among the chief symptoms.

As the disease wears on, it may result in an almost total obstruction of the coronary artery’s lumen. This limits the flow of blood carrying oxygen to the myocardium. Usually, when afflicted with this phase of the disease, individuals will have suffered from one or several heart attacks. They will also display signs of chronic coronary ischemia. These include symptoms of flash pulmonary edema and angina at rest.

We should be clear that there exists a difference between myocardial infarction and myocardial ischemia. The term “ischemia” refers to the disorder wherein the amount of oxygen that is supplied to a tissue is not sufficient for that tissue’s needs. When the myocardium is afflicted with ischemia, it is unable to function properly. When it afflicts large portions of the myocardium, the organ’s relaxation and contraction can be impaired. “Infarction” implies that the tissue has died because of a lack of oxygen rich blood.

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