Ischemic heart

Information

This is one of the most often cardiac lesions. It is a heart damage resulting from insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart. Atherosclerosis is the most often and important reason for reduced blood supply of cardiac muscle. It leads to stenosis of blood vessels and reduces blood inflow to heart.  Increased blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diabetes mellitus are the risky factors for arising and development of this lesion. Hereditary laden plays a specific role too. Pain behind the sternum, sometimes spreading to the neck and left hand is specific for the various forms of ischemic heart – stable and instable stenocardia, known as “angina pectoris” and the most worst – infarction. Pain may appear at rest, at physical efforts or emotional tension, sometimes after sleep or after eating as well as to be provoked by cold. It differs by strength and duration. In case of doubt for such crisis, it is important the patient to stay at bed or at sitting position, to place a tablet of Nitroglycerine under the tongue, if there is such, and if the pain does not fade down, immediately to seek doctor’s assistance. In such cases it is necessary o make ECG in order to estimate the status of heart and necessity of additional examinations and relevant therapy. In some patients, most often with stable stenocardia or in patients with silent ischemia, without pain, it is necessary to carry out ECG at physical loading (stress-test or the so called veloergometry), echocardiography ad some specialized laboratory examinations in order to have exact diagnosis and correct therapy. The timely treatment of high blood pressure, increased values of cholesterol in blood, diabetes mellitus and obesity, reduce the risk from appearance and development of such lesion and its complications.