AMMAN — Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) goes by many names
including, Coronary Heart Disease (not to be confused with congenital heart
disease) and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
اضافة اعلان
IHD is a noncommunicable disease,
meaning it cannot be spread through human-to-human contact, and despite this,
is a leading cause of death around the world.
As of 2020, approximately 1.72 percent of the world’s
population is affected by IHD, and nine million deaths were caused by IHD.
Within
a population, it affects more men than women and progresses with age. Globally,
IHD is the leading cause of death, disability, and decreased quality of life,
and Jordan is no exception.
What is IHD?
Ischemic Heart Disease falls under the broader umbrella of
cardiovascular disease (CVD). Of all CVDs, IHD is the most common
internationally. Typically, IHD manifests as a heart attack in many.
Scientifically,
IHD is the buildup of plaque along the walls of the arteries that supply the
heart with blood. The plaque is made of cholesterol as well as other bio
substances that deposit themselves along the inner lining of arteries.
Over
time, this build up results in an occlusion (narrowing), which can either be partial
or complete. This process is referred to as atherosclerosis.
Signs and symptoms of IHD:
Signs and symptoms of a disease are often helpful. They tell
us that there is something wrong happening inside our bodies that will cue us
into checking with our
healthcare professionals.
What makes IHD extremely
concerning is a surprisingly large number of cases that are “silent”.
Silent cases refer to individuals observing no noticeable
differences in their health until a catastrophic event or complication occurs.
In
IHD, this event is typically a heart attack and is associated with a high rate
of mortality. As a result, if you experience any symptoms associated with a
heart attack, you are highly urged to seek immediate, professional help.
Acute or sudden signs and symptoms associated with IHD
events primarily consists of angina (sudden chest pain).
Although there are
different types of anginas and the subjective perception of pain is different
among individuals, angina is typically associated with extreme pressure and
tightness in the chest, as well as difficulty breathing.
Unfortunately, women, who have a naturally higher pain
tolerance, and individuals with obesity, may have difficulty perceiving the
pain associated with angina.
Individuals belonging to this population have described
the pain as indigestion/heart burn.
Due to the unreliability of chest pain as
an indicator, other symptoms in conjunction with perceived pain may help to
identify acute events.
Other signs and symptoms include radiation of pain into
the left arm and neck, cold sweats, and dizziness or light-headedness.
Individuals
with chronic or long-term IHD tend to experience symptoms regularly in the form
of angina, shortness of breath with physical activity, fatigue, and neck pain.
Complications of IHD:
Complications of IHD are known to be life-threatening and
may lead to permanent disability.
The major complication of IHD is acute
coronary syndrome, which includes heart attack and angina. Furthermore, IHD may
also lead to:
Arrythmia: Disruption of heart rhythm resulting in
irregular pumping of the blood and beating of heart.
Heart Failure: A condition that describes the heart’s
inability to circulate blood at optimal capacity.
Cardiogenic Shock: A broad term used to describe the
heart’s inability to pump blood to vital organs.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest: complete cessation of heart
function resulting in no circulation of blood throughout the body. Not to be
confused with heart attacks, in which blood flow is only stopped to portions of
the heart but not to the rest of the body.
Health risks:
Risk factors are a set of conditions or criteria that
increase your chances of developing a certain disease later in life.
Risk
factors may be a result of lifestyle choices such as smoking, but risk factors
may also include things that cannot be changed such as sex, age, ethnicity, and
genetics.
Since IHD is associated with high cholesterol, many poor
lifestyle choices may be a direct factor. Factors include being physically
inactive, unhealthy eating habits or patterns, and even
stress, which may
result in binge eating.
Furthermore, smoking is associated with multiple
cardiovascular complications and is therefore a direct factor.
In terms of inherent risks that cannot be changed, not much
can be done in terms of prevention, but being mindful of possible development
may lead to early detection, in which case proper management is the best course
of action.
Inherent risk factors include age. For men, risk increases for those
who are above 45.
Premenopausal women are at lower risk than men, but after
the age of 55, the risk increases. Genetic dispositions and family history are
also seen as a risk factor, especially if a male was diagnosed with IHD before
the age of 55 or a female before 65.
There are other medical conditions that
can increase your risk of IHD.
Most notably seen in diabetics, but other
conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high LDL cholesterol
levels (“bad cholesterol”), obesity, chronic kidney disease, and certain
autoimmune diseases are all seen as risk factors for IHD.
IHD in Jordan:
As of 2019, IHD is responsible for approximately 19 percent
of all deaths in Jordan.
Although this
percentage is relatively low in comparison to our neighboring countries, IHD
is still our primary cause of death by a substantial margin.
Data relating to
IHD in Jordan is scarce, suggesting that not much in the way of health reform
has been done. In fact, through preliminary investigations, only one specific
health reform was enacted by the government in regards to IHD.
This reform
calls for the application of screening programs in patients with existing diabetes as a form of early detection for compilations, one of which being IHD.
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