What is ischaemic heart disease?

Ischemia means lack of blood supply. Ischemia results either from reduced supply or increased demand. Most often it is the former, due to narrowing of coronary arteries. Coronary arteries are narrowed due to atherosclerotic plaques. It results in angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Ischaemic or ischemic heart disease (IHD), or myocardial ischemia, is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries). Its risk increases with age, smoking, hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels), diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and is more common in men and those who have close relatives with ischaemic heart disease.

Symptoms of stable ischaemic heart disease include angina (characteristic chest pain on exertion) and decreased exercise tolerance. Unstable IHD presents itself as chest pain or other symptoms at rest, or rapidly worsening angina. Diagnosis of IHD is with an electrocardiogram, blood tests (cardiac markers), cardiac stress testing or a coronary angiogram. Depending on the symptoms and risk, treatment may be with medication, percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty) or coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).

It is the most common cause of death in most Western countries, and a major cause of hospital admissions. There is limited evidence for population screening, but prevention (with a healthy diet and sometimes medication for diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure) is used both to prevent IHD and to decrease the risk of complications.

ischaemic heart diseases effect mainly heart muscle causing either infarction or angina due to defect of coronary arteries (right and left) causing poor blood supply to myocardium so this poor oxygen and nutrient so any increase of muscle activity by strees ,anxiety,sexual activity heavy meal these are precipitating causes. the main pathology of coronary are atherosclerosis so the risk factors causing atherosclerosis are :
1.smoking .
2.alcoholism
3.obesity
4.diabetus mellitus
the main sign and symptoms are chest pain,dyspnoea on exertion,easy fatigability.
to prevent attack of these symptoms should avoid the precipitating factor and treat underline causes