Health information

QUESTION: I read your column each day and today it was about angina
A
mention of myocardial infarction or heart attack was included
Is this the
same as myocardial ischemic disease? If not, what is ischemia? Thank you in
advance for your answer.

ANSWER: It is not difficult to get lost in the maze of terms we doctors use
about disease, and though I should know better, I guess I wasn’t as clear
about these conditions as I want to be
So let’s go back and do it again, and
hopefully get it right this time
Ischemia (from the Greek word “ischein” to
suppress, and “haima” blood) literally means a deficiency of blood supply to
the heart, usually from an obstruction or constriction in the arteries that
supply blood to the heart
Because it is this blood supply that supplies the
oxygen that heart cells need to live, ischemia is also used to describe
situations in which there is an insufficient supply of oxygen to tissues.
When the coronary arteries are the affected vessels, it may be called
“coronary artery disease” as well
When a sudden blockage of these arteries
occurs, perhaps due to the formation of a clot inside the artery, the heart
muscles are suddenly deprived of their needed oxygen supplies and a “heart
attack” occurs, with all the well known symptoms of acute chest pain and
shock
If the situation cannot be speedily reversed (and it can in some
incidences, due to new medications and techniques), the muscle tissue dies.
And that’s when the word “infarct” is used for it means “an area of tissue
death due to local ischemia resulting from the obstruction of circulation to
the area”
Add the word “myocardial” to the term (”myo” for muscle, “cardio”
for heart), and the diagnosis is complete
In the case of angina, the
circulation blockage may not be complete, and the partial reduction of blood
flow to the heart is enough to cause heart muscles to suffer an oxygen lack
without dying
The pain that this condition causes may make the patient stop
all other activity, reducing the strain on the heart, and giving it a moment
or two to catch up on its oxygen requirements.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

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