Coronary artery diseaseCoronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a type of heart disease involving the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to the presence of atheromatous plaques in the arteries of the heart. It is the most common of the cardiovascular diseases. CAD can cause stable angina, unstable angina, myocardial ischemia, and myocardial infarction.
Coronary arteriesThe coronary arteries are the arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, much like any other tissue or organ of the body. The coronary arteries wrap around the entire heart. The two main branches are the left coronary artery and right coronary artery.
Chest painChest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with nausea, sweating, or shortness of breath. It can be divided into heart-related and non-heart-related pain. Pain due to insufficient blood flow to the heart is also called angina pectoris.
AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by the development of atheromatous plaques in the walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by elevated blood levels of cholesterol, primarily LDL. These lesions lead to narrowing of the arteries. At the onset, there are usually no symptoms, but if they develop, symptoms generally begin around middle age.
Heart failureHeart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pumpblood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically presents with shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, and bilateral leg swelling. The severity of the heart failure is mainly decided based on ejection fraction and also measured by the severity of symptoms.
Cardiac muscleCardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebratemuscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart. The cardiac muscle (myocardium) forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium), with blood supplied via the coronary circulation.
Myocardial infarctionInterruption of cardiac blood supplyMedical conditionA myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retrosternal chest pain or discomfort that classically radiates to the left shoulder, arm, or jaw. The pain may occasionally feel like heartburn. This is the dangerous type of acute coronary syndrome.
AnemiaAnemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin available for oxygen transport, or abnormalities in hemoglobin that impair its function. When anemia comes on slowly, the symptoms are often vague, such as tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, headaches, and a reduced ability to exercise.
IschemiaIschemiaorischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body. A shortage of blood supply at any site causes a shortage of oxygen (hypoxia) available for cellular metabolism, (i.e., needed to keep tissue alive). Typically, ischemia is caused by problems with blood vessels and the resultant damage to or dysfunction of tissue—e.g., general hypoxia and microvascular dysfunction.VasospasmVasospasm refers to a condition in which an arterial spasm leads to vasoconstriction. This can lead to tissue ischemia (insufficient blood flow) and tissue death (necrosis). Along with physical resistance, vasospasm is a main cause of ischemia. Like physical resistance, vasospasms can occur due to atherosclerosis. Vasospasm is the major cause of Prinzmetal's angina.
ArrhythmiaHeart sounds of a girl experiencing arrhythmia after exercising.Problems playing this file? See .Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, which may be too fast or too slow. Essentially, arrhythmia is a deviation from the normal sinus rhythm.Vascular occlusionVascular occlusion is a blockage of a blood vessel, usually with a clot. It differs from thrombosis in describing any form of blockage, not just one formed by a clot. When it occurs in a major vein, it can, in some cases, cause deep vein thrombosis. The condition is also relatively common in the retina, and can cause partial or total loss of vision. An occlusion can often be diagnosed using Doppler sonography (a form of ultrasound).
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