There are numerous causes or risk factors associated with ischemic heart disease. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, ischemic heart disease, also known as ischemic cardiomyopathy, occurs when the coronary arteries--the arteries that bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart--are occluded or blocked by plaque. Plaque is formed through a condition called atherosclerosis, and many factors contribute to atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries.
Diabetes
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK--a division of the National Institutes of Health--coronary artery disease is one of the major types of heart and blood vessel diseases common in people with diabetes. Diabetes can also lead to heart failure and peripheral artery disease, which is narrowing or occlusion of blood vessels in the legs. The NIDDK says coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease is characterized by a hardening or thickening of the walls of the coronary arteries, along with a buildup of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries. If the heart doesn't receive sufficient blood flow through the coronary arteries, it's possible to have a heart attack. According to a 1999 article by Adam D. Timmis published in the "British Medical Bulletin," 75 percent of all deaths in patients with diabetes are caused by accelerated atherogenesis and coronary heart disease.
Obesity
The World Heart Federation says 21 percent of ischemic heart disease cases are attributable to a body mass index, or BMI, over 21. BMI is a statistical measure of body weight based on your height and weight. Although BMI is not a perfect way to assess cardiovascular risk, as your BMI increases, so does your risk of heart disease and stroke. According to the World Heart Federation, a BMI of 25 indicates that you're overweight, and being overweight or having excessive intra-abdominal fat significantly affects your metabolism and risk for cardiovascular problems, including ischemic heart disease.
Smoking
According to the World Health Organization, or WHO, the association between smoking and heart disease has been well described in populations around the world. Studies of twins show that smoking can significantly increase the size of plaques in coronary arteries, which leads to ischemic heart disease. The World Heart Federation says 25 percent of tobacco-related deaths are attributable to ischemic heart disease, and that cardiovascular disease risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day. The World Heart Federation also notes that passive smoking or secondhand smoke is a significant cardiovascular disease risk, that there is no level of secondhand smoke exposure that's risk-free and that the excess risk of cardiovascular disease--including ischemic heart disease--from consuming secondhand smoke could be as high as 60 percent.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke
- "British Medical Bulletin"; Diabetes: Relationship to Ischaemic Heart Disease; Adam D. Timmis; 2001
- World Heart Federation: Obesity
- American Journal of Epidemiology; Ischemic Heart Disease; S. H. Jee et al.; July 2005
