Exam 1 Review:  Chapter 18:  Pathology of the Heart -- Physiological Defects

ischemia - A decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels and causing hypoxia and potential tissue death.

hypoxia - A deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues; causes vary from inadequate oxygen in the atmosphere to problems in ventilation, gas exchange, blood circulation, or the presence of toxic substances such as carbon monoxide.

angina pectoris - Severe paroxysmal pain and a a sense of suffocating contraction or tightening of the lower part of the chest, associated with an insufficient supply of blood to the heart.  [See diagram below for typical patterns of referred pain in angina.]

silent myocardial ischemia - A common manifestation of coronary heart disease in which ischemic episodes are asymptomatic and occur during periods of no or minimal exercise; a stress electrocardiogram or ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring (AEM) will often reveal their presence; people with silent ischemia are more likely to have heart attacks and sudden death.

infarct - Any area of tissue that undergoes necrosis from hypoxia as a result of obstruction of its local blood supply, caused by hemorrhage, thrombus, embolus or other cause.

myocardial infarction - destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle; risk factors include smoking, hypertension, a high-fat diet, high blood cholesterol (especially increased LDL), diabetes mellitus, male gender, sedentery lifestyle, age, and heredity.  nickname -- heart attack

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