Ischemia is a lack of blood supply to tissues or organs of the body due to problems with blood vessels. Without an adequate blood supply, the tissues or organs also don't get enough oxygen. As a result, dangerous conditions can occur, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Symptoms of Ischemia
Symptoms that appear in patients with ischemia, depending on the location of the occurrence of this condition.
Ischemia of the heart
Cardiac ischemia occurs when the arteries of the heart are partially or completely blocked, and can result in heart rhythm disturbances or even a heart attack. Symptoms that appear are:
- Chest pain like pressure.
- Pain in the neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm.
- The heart rate becomes faster.
- Shortness of breath, especially when doing physical activity.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Sweat profusely.
- Weak
Intestinal ischemia
Intestinal ischemia occurs when the arteries in the intestines don't get enough oxygen for digestion. This condition can occur suddenly (acute) or progress slowly (chronic). Symptoms of chronic intestinal ischemia are characterized by flatulence, constipation, vomiting, and abdominal pain for about 15-60 minutes after eating, then disappear. Meanwhile, acute intestinal ischemia is indicated by sudden abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Ischemia in the brain
Ischemia in the brain is a type of stroke, in which the blood supply to the arteries of the brain is blocked, resulting in a lack of oxygen for brain cells and can develop into brain cell damage or death. Symptoms of brain ischemia include:
- Half of the body becomes weak or paralyzed.
- Asymmetrical face.
- Talk pelo.
- Visual disturbances, which include blindness in one eye or double vision.
- Dizziness and vertigo.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Loss of body coordination.
Ischemia of the limbs
Ischemia of the legs occurs as a result of peripheral arterial disease, where plaque builds up in the arteries of the legs. Symptoms include:
- Severe pain in the legs, even when resting.
- Feet become cold and weak.
- Leg skin looks smooth and shiny.
- The fingertips are black.
- Wounds that don't heal.
Causes of Ischemia
A common cause of ischemia is atherosclerosis, in which plaques, which are mostly fat, block blood flow. Over time, blocked arteries can harden and narrow (atherosclerosis). In addition, conditions that can also cause ischemia are blood clots that form from plaque fragments and move to smaller blood vessels, so that they can stop blood flow suddenly.
The following factors can increase a person's risk for ischemia:
- Have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, hypotension, high cholesterol, obesity, blood clotting disorders, sickle cell anemia, celiac disease, and heart failure.
- Smoking habit.
- Alcohol addiction.
- Drug abuse.
- Rarely exercise.
Ischemia Diagnosis
The doctor will suspect a patient has ischemia based on the existing symptoms, as well as the examination carried out. These inspections can be in the form of:
- Blood tests, to check cholesterol levels in the blood and blood clotting profiles.
- Electrocardiography (ECG), to record the electrical activity of the heart,
- Echocardiography, to see the structure, shape and movement of the heart.
- Angiography, to see the severity of the blockage in the blood vessels,
In addition to these examinations, the doctor can also suggest other complementary examinations, based on the area of ischemia:
- ischemia of the heart, include a CT scan to look for possible coronary heart disease, as well as pressure tests (stress test) for example with an ECG, treadmillwhen the patient is doing physical activity.
- intestinal ischemia, ie with Doppler ultrasound to check the flow of blood vessels.
- ischemia of the brain, ie with a CT scan to determine whether ischemia causes brain tissue death.
- ischemia of the limbs, includes an ankle blood pressure test to compare the blood pressure in the arms and legs (ankle-brachial index), as well as Doppler ultrasound to determine the condition of the blockage in the arteries in the legs.
Ischemia Treatment
Treatment of ischemia essentially aims to increase blood flow back to the target organ. The treatment is carried out based on the area of the ischemia location.
Cardiac ischemia treatment In addition to giving medication, several medical procedures will also be carried out to improve blood flow. Among others are: Treatment of brain ischemia Treatment of ischemia in the brain can be given tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) to treat blood clots. This procedure has certain conditions and conditions before it is given, for example, it is carried out within 3 hours after the stroke. In addition to landfill, ring installation (stent) can also be performed on arteries that are narrowed by plaque. In addition, efforts to prevent the formation of blood clots again in the long term can be done by giving aspirin or anticoagulants. After treatment, the patient will need physiotherapy to restore his impaired motor skills, body coordination, and speech. Intestinal ischemia treatment Treatment needs to be done immediately so that there is no permanent intestinal damage. This condition can be treated through a procedure to widen the blood vessels (angioplasty) and insertion stent, operation bypass, or trans-aortic endarterectomy to remove plaque on the artery walls. Leg ischemia treatment To relieve symptoms of ischemia in the legs, doctors can give drugs that increase blood flow to the legs by dilating blood vessels. Examples of these drugs are: cilostazol. The side effects of taking this drug are dizziness and diarrhea. In addition, the administration of additional drugs to prevent complications is also required, including: cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), hypertension drugs, drugs to control blood sugar levels, and drugs to prevent blood clots. If the drug does not show improvement in the patient's condition, the doctor can take other actions. These actions are in the form of angioplasty to widen the narrowed arteries, as well as by grafting blood vessels from other bodies or synthetic materials to replace blocked and narrowed arteries (bypass). As for leg ischemia where there is a blood clot, the doctor can perform thrombolytic therapy by injecting drugs to remove the blood clot. In addition to treatment, lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, a healthy diet, exercising, are also highly recommended for sufferers so that symptoms do not get worse and as an effort to prevent complications of limb ischemia, such as amputation, stroke, or heart attack.