Ischemic heart disease is one of the most common forms of heart disease. It leads to the accumulation of plaque in the body and reduces the blood supply to the heart. If the plaque ruptures, it might create clots in the artery.
In this article you will read about the treatment for ischemic heart disease including lifestyle changes, medications, surgical options, risk factors for ischemic heart disease and complications.
Treatment for Ischemic Heart Disease
The major part of the treatment for ischemic heart disease recommended by the doctors is changes in lifestyle, medications and in some cases, few surgical procedures.
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Lifestyle Changes for Ischemic Heart Disease
Following habits can improve the ischemic heart disease prospects by many notches.
- Leave smoking can help in treating ischemic heart disease.
- Consumption of healthy foods with regular simple exercises can help in managing ischemic heart disease.
- Losing weight and reduction of stress or stress management is a good way to treat ischemic heart disease.
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Medications for Ischemic Heart Disease
Numerous medicines can help the patients of ischemic heart disease.
- Cholesterol reducing medicines can reduce bad cholesterol and help in treating ischemic heart disease. Medication to reduce the harmful cholesterol in the blood can lead to the elimination of plaque from the arteries. Some of the medicines are statins along with niacin and fibrates.
- Aspirin or other blood thinners can contribute in treatment for ischemic heart disease. Blood thinner is one of the most important aspects that would help to reduce the instances of the blood clots in the arteries. It plays a very important role in ensuring the supply of the blood to different parts of the body. Aspirin should not be taken with another blood thinner. You must consult the doctor before proceeding ahead.
- Beta blockers also support the treatment for ischemic heart disease. They are important medicines that improve the health of the heart and reduce the blood pressure to a great extent. Beta blockers can reduce the instances of heart attacks by many notches.
- Nitroglycerin can assist in the treatment for ischemic heart disease. Nitroglycerin tablets play a very important role in reducing the chest pain and expanding the arteries to ensure the blood flow.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme or ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers or ARBs. It plays an important role in the reduction of the blood pressure (B.P) for ischemic heart disease.
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Surgery for Ischemic Heart Disease
Surgery for ischemic heart disease can help in restoring the blood flow and also improve the blood flow to the heart by getting rid of plaque from major heart arteries. Few surgical treatments for ischemic heart disease are as follows:
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Angioplasty and Stent Placement or Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization Surgery for Ischemic Heart Disease
Angioplasty and stent placement or percutaneous coronary revascularization surgery can aid in treating ischemic heart disease. The stent along with balloon is inserted into the artery to the place of clotting. Thereafter, it is inflated to eliminate the deposits in an impeccable manner and ensure blood supply. The stent is left inside the artery where it releases medication in a periodic manner.
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Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Treating Ischemic Heart Disease
Coronary artery bypass surgery can support in treatment for ischemic heart disease. The vessel from another organ in the body is grafted to circumvent the blockage in the coronary artery without any hassles. Open heart surgery is performed if multiple narrow arteries exist in the body. The operation helps to enhance the blood flow by many notches.
Risk Factors for Ischemic Heart Disease
Risk factors for ischemic heart disease include:
- Old age is a possible risk factor for ischemic heart disease. As the person gets old, the probability of artery clogging increases.
- Sex of a person can be a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Ischemic heart disease affects men more compared to the women.
- Family history is a possible risk factor for ischemic heart disease. In addition people with genetic history, can also contact the disease early on. If parents have developed disease before the age of 55, the risk of getting affected would be a lot higher.
- Smoking is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease. People smoking are vulnerable to IHD. Moreover, passive smoking can also cause disease to the victim.
- Chronic high blood pressure can be a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries, narrowing the channel through which blood can flow. Increased high blood pressure can cause the deposition of the plaque in the arteries. Constricted blood flow could result in lots of problems in the future.
- High blood cholesterol levels can be a factor of risk for ischemic heart disease. High cholesterol level in the blood is accompanied by the formation of plaques as well as atherosclerosis. Lipoprotein or the bad cholesterol can cause lots of problems to the people. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) can cause problems in the form of atherosclerosis.
- Uncontrolled diabetes is a likely risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Ischemic heart disease is the offshoot of the problem of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be caused due to the deposition of fat as well the higher blood pressure.
- Overweight or obesity is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Over weight individuals are prone to risk of heart attacks.
- Physical inactivity. Sedentary lifestyle can cause ischemic heart disease.
- Chronic stress can reason to ischemic heart disease. People leading stressful lives are prone to cardiac problems.
The risk factors for ischemic heart disease can happen in a group such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure at the same time can increase the risk of ischemic heart disease. There are numerous risk factors that can affect the occurrence of diabetes. Metabolic syndrome can cause enhancement of the blood pressure along with increase in the amount of triglycerides. Obesity is one of the main reasons of increased sugar level in the blood.
Ischemic heart disease can occur even without any risk factor. Scientists find that the following are some other risk factors for ischemic heart disease:
- Sleep apnea can be a likely risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Sleep apnea is a condition in which the patient suddenly gets up in the middle of the night due to the lack of oxygen supply. As a result the individuals experience higher blood pressure leading to the occurrence of the cardiovascular disease.
- High sensitivity C-reactive protein is also a likely risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Increase in the level of reactive protein can cause inflammation and also result in heart disease in the future. Narrowing of the arteries is one of the primary reasons leading to the enhancement of Hs-CRP (High sensitivity C – reactive protein) in the blood.
- High triglycerides can cause ischemic heart disease. Increase in the level of fat in the blood can cause the occurrence of ischemic heart disease in females.
- Homocysteine is a risk factor. Homocysteine belongs to the category of amino acids that helps in the repair and maintenance of the cell tissues. High level of the substance results in enhancement of ischemic heart disease.
Complications in Ischemic Heart Disease
The following are the complications in ischemic heart disease:
- Chest pain or angina is a complication in ischemic heart disease. Narrowing of coronary artery can lead to the heart gasping for enough blood supply. The problem might occur while performing heavy exercises. It may also result in breathlessness.
- Heart attack is a possible complication in ischemic heart disease. Deposition of plaque is the sole cause of reduced blood flow to the heart. As a result, the muscles become damaged when it ruptures. Clotting could lead to lots of problems in the long run. It is important to receive timely treatment.
- Failure of the heart. Another complication for ischemic heart disease is Heart failure. Heart failure is caused when it is not able to supply blood to different parts of the body. It may also occur due to heart attacks and other related issues.
- Abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia is a possible complication in ischemic heart disease. It is caused by insufficient blood supply to the heart resulting in irregular electrical impulses.
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