Ischemic cardiomyopathy
From Wiki4CAM
It is congestive heart failure due to coronary artery disease. The word "ischemic" means insufficiant blood and oxygen supply to an organ. "Cardio" means heart and "myopathy" means muscle-related disease. When the arteries that bring blood and oxygen to the heart are blocked, it results ischemic cardiomyopathy. Cholesterol and other substances may be built-up to form plaque in the arteries that bring oxygen to heart muscle tissue. Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a common cause of congestive heart failure. Patients with this condition may at one time have had a heart attack, angina, or unstable angina. Some patients may not have noticed any previous symptoms.
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Causes and risk factors
There are various causes and risk factors for ischemic cardiomyopathy. Personal or family history of heart attack, angina, unstable angina, atherosclerosis, or other coronary artery diseases can be a risk factor. High blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high fat diet, high cholesterol and obesity can lead to ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Symptoms
Most of the time the symptoms will appear suddenly. Chest pain may be felt under the chest bone and radiate to the neck, jaw, back, shoulder and arm. Tight, pressure, crushing and squeezing may be felt in the heart region. Irregular or rapid pulse may be awared. Other symptoms like cough, fatigue, weakness, faintness, decreased alertness or concentration, decreased urine output, excessive urination at night, overall swelling and breathing difficulty when lying down are also observed.
