The term ischemic cardiopathy refers to the alterations of the heart due to a reduction in blood flow through the coronary arteries.
Depending on its severity and length of evolution it may be classified into two groups:
- Acute coronary syndrome, which includes acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina.
- Chronic ischemic cardiopathy, which includes myocardial infarction of more than 3 months’ evolution and exertional angina. It also refers to patients who have suffered acute processes of ischemic cardiopathy or else been diagnosed with coronary atherosclerosis.
The most frequent cause is arteriosclerosis which occludes the coronary arteries, reducing the supply of oxygenated blood. Contributing factors: male gender, female gender from menopause onwards, family history of ischemic cardiopathy, higher cholesterol LDL, lower HDL cholesterol, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity.
For years it exists without symptoms and when it appears it tends to be in the form of oppressive thoracic pain, pain in the jaw or arms, and/or difficulty breathing.
Diagnosis is through medical questioning, physical examination, blood tests and an electrocardiogram in the acute phase. To complete the study, a stress test, cardiac catheterism, echography and/or cardiac magnetic resonance may be conducted.
Differentiation should be made between acute treatment, applied when the first symptoms appear, and chronic treatment, maintained for life once the disease has been diagnosed.
Acute treatment includes: complete rest, a quiet environment, sublingual Solinitrina and aspirin if no contraindications exist. If the pain does not subside despite treatment it may be necessary to conduct an urgent coronary catheterization.
Chronic treatment includes: monitoring cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and salt in the diet. So the risk factors of hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes are thereby controlled. The patient should stop smoking immediately. Lastly, daily medication is necessary for life.
This is the most frequent cause of sudden death and death in general in people over 20 years old. Prevention is fundamental for reducing its occurrence.
Whenever constant thoracic pain, breathing difficulties, sudden onset of arrhythmia, or sudden loss of consciousness is present, it is advisable to call emergency services.
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