Ischemic Heart Disease
Am I At Risk For Ischemic Heart Disease?
Ischemic heart disease, sometimes known as atherosclerotic
heart disease, involves a lack of blood flow to the heart
muscle which is caused by the clogged arteries with fatty
plaques.
When an artery becomes totally clogged, blood is unable to
reach the part of the heart served by that artery, and eventually
that part of the heart muscle dies. When this occurs, this
even is known as heart attack and requires immediate medical
intervention.
Potential Risk Factors for Ischemic Heart Disease
There are some risk factors for developing ischemic heart
disease. The risk factors include age, ethnicity, and family
history, these are the factors that are beyond your control.
In fact, there are also some risk factors for ischemic heart
disease are at least partially in your control. These include
high levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol), high blood
pressure, diabetes, smoking, serious drinking or binge drinking,
and a greater than ideal body weight. In order to reduce the
risk of ischemic heart disease, you can develop strategies
together with your doctor.
Symptoms of Ischemic Heart Disease
Ischemic heart disease will sometimes cause a pain in the
chest area known as angina. However, ischemic heart disease
may also be "silent”, which means, there might
not be any symptoms at all, or it may cause mild or atypical
symptoms that you and your doctor miss.
Sometimes, even heart attack symptoms may not be totally
obvious, especially for women. The most common symptom has
to be the crushing pain in the left side of the chest which
radiates to the arm. Many women and some men experience atypical
symptoms. They may have pain in their jaw, neck, or back.
There are also certain people who feel no pain at all during
a heart attack but may become dizzy, nauseous, or extremely
fatigued.
If you suspect you are having a heart attack, you should
call an ambulance immediately and ask to be taken to the nearest
cardiac care emergency room. Never attempt to drive there
yourself as you might lose consciousness at the wheel of the
car.
Do not have a "wait and see" approach. The sooner
you are in the hands of a competent cardiac care team, there
are higher chances for you to recover.
During a heart attack, you may be treated with "clot
busting" medications to try to open the clogged artery.
You may also undergo cardiac catheterization, a procedure
to check blood flow in the heart and to open up the blocked
passages.
After several medications and a strict cardiac care regimen,
you can expect to return home from the hospital. Ischemic
heart disease is an extremely serious health problem, but
topped with proper medications, diet, and lifestyle changes,
it can be successfully treated.
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