What Is Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)?
Patients often ask what heart ischemia is and what risk it carries. From a medical point of view, heart ischemia is a condition in which the heart muscle receives critically little oxygen. Looking deeper at what CHD is, the main trigger is atherosclerosis, which narrows the coronary arteries with plaques. In cardiology practice, a diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) means gradual oxygen starvation of the myocardium.
Signs of Coronary Heart Disease
So as not to lose precious time, it is important to know how coronary heart disease shows up in its early stages. The main symptoms of heart ischemia are a feeling of heaviness behind the breastbone, sudden shortness of breath when walking, and rhythm disturbances.
Classic CHD may also include periodic blood pressure spikes. If you notice these CHD symptoms, plan a visit to a doctor right away, because progressing signs of coronary heart disease may indicate a serious disturbance of blood circulation.
Risk Factors for Heart Ischemia
When explaining to patients what coronary heart disease is (signs and causes), doctors point to lifestyle. The main causes of heart ischemia lie in disturbed lipid metabolism. In addition, risk factors for coronary heart disease include smoking, obesity, chronic stress, and age-related changes in the vessels.