Ischemic heart disease is a condition in which the heart muscle receives insufficient oxygen-rich blood to meet its needs, most commonly because the coronary arteries have narrowed or become blocked.
The heart muscle needs a continuous supply of oxygen-rich blood through the coronary arteries. When blood flow cannot meet the heart’s needs, the resulting oxygen shortage is called myocardial ischemia.
Ischemic heart disease can cause chest discomfort, particularly during physical exertion or emotional stress, and may lead to heart attack, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, or other complications. Coronary artery disease is its most common underlying cause.
QUICK FACT
Ischemic heart disease can sometimes cause little or no obvious chest pain, particularly in some people with diabetes or older adults.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Coronary artery disease: a disease of the arteries supplying the heart, commonly caused by atherosclerosis; it is the major cause of ischemic heart disease.
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A heart attack occurs when prolonged interruption of blood flow causes injury and death of heart muscle. Ischemic heart disease is the broader condition involving inadequate blood supply to the heart.
SEE ALSO
- Ischemia
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Artery
- Blood Pressure
- Myocardial Infarction
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Myocardial ischemia
