ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease is the big-picture name for any heart trouble that comes down to the muscle not getting enough blood. It is the consequences side of the coin whose other side is the narrowed arteries themselves.

It encompasses the whole range of problems caused by reduced coronary blood supply: stable angina, the acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI), silent ischemia, and the longer-term damage such as scarring and weakening of the muscle that can follow repeated or large infarctions. The common thread is a supply-demand imbalance, almost always rooted in atherosclerosis.

Because it is defined by the effect on the heart rather than a single event, ischemic heart disease can be chronic and stable for years, punctuated by acute episodes. Over time, accumulated muscle loss can lead to heart failure — sometimes called ischemic cardiomyopathy — making it a leading cause of disability as well as death.

Ischemic heart disease, coronary heart disease and coronary artery disease are largely synonymous in everyday clinical use; strictly, ischemic heart disease emphasizes the muscle's lack of blood, while coronary artery disease emphasizes the diseased arteries that cause it.