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ischemia
Sign in to saveAlso known as ischaemia, ischaemic disease
Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems with blood vessels, with resultant damage to or dysfunction of tissue, i.e., hypoxia and microvascular dysfunction. It also implies local hypoxia in a part of a body resulting from constriction (such as vasoconstriction, thrombosis, or embolism).
Ischemia is a restriction of blood flow to a part of your body that deprives cells of the oxygen they need to survive and function properly. It's typically caused by problems with blood vessels—such as constriction, clots, or blockages—and can damage or impair the affected tissue if not addressed.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Ischemia
- Medical condition.image
- Ischemia.JPG
- Medical condition.caption
- Vascular ischemia of the toes with characteristic cyanosis
- Medical condition.field
- Vascular surgery
- Medical condition.synonyms
- ischaemia, ischæmia
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
583,361 papers- [Spinal cord ischemia].ReviewDer Radiologe · 2021Alektoroff K, Kettner M, Papanagiotou PDOI: 10.1007/s00117-021-00825-3
- Bowel ischemia in COVID-19: A systematic review.International journal of clinical practice · 2021Patel S, Parikh C, Verma D et al.DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.14930
- [Silent ischemia].ReviewLa Revue de medecine interne · 1994Bauters C, Quandalle P, Lablanche JM et al.DOI: 10.1016/s0248-8663(05)82128-9
- Posterior Retinal Ischemia Correlates With Vision in Patients With Diabetes.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Kakihara S, Busza A, Yamaguchi TC et al.DOI: 10.1167/iovs.66.6.5
- [Acute mesenteric ischemia. Resection or reconstruction?].ReviewDer Chirurg; Zeitschrift fur alle Gebiete der operativen Medizen · 2003Eckstein HHDOI: 10.1007/s00104-003-0630-x
- [Cerebral ischemia in young adults].ReviewFortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie · 1991Berlit P, Endemann B, Vetter PDOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1000706
- [Intestinal ischemia. Clinical picture and examination methods].ReviewUgeskrift for laeger · 1995Abrahamsen J, Knudsen T
- [Nonocclusive intestinal ischemia].ReviewRevista medico-chirurgicala a Societatii de Medici si Naturalisti din Iasi · 1995Diaconu C, Burcoveanu C, Dogaru C et al.
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Ischemia.JPG
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Ischemia
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C34738
- exact match
- purl.obolibrary.org/obo/SYMP_0000209
Sources (6)
via Wikidata · CC0
~11 min read
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Cardiac ischemia
- Bowel
- Brain
- Limb
- Cutaneous
- Kidney ischemia
- Causes
- Occlusion
- Trauma
- Other
- Pathophysiology
- Treatment
- Society and culture
- Etymology and pronunciation
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems with blood vessels, with resultant damage to or dysfunction of tissue, i.e., hypoxia and microvascular dysfunction. It also implies local hypoxia in a part of a body resulting from constriction (such as vasoconstriction, thrombosis, or embolism).
Ischemia causes not only insufficiency of oxygen but also reduced availability of nutrients and inadequate removal of metabolic wastes. Ischemia can be partial (poor perfusion) or total blockage. The inadequate delivery of oxygenated blood to the organs must be resolved either by treating the cause of the inadequate delivery or reducing the oxygen demand of the system that needs it. For example, patients with myocardial ischemia have a decreased blood flow to the heart and are prescribed with medications that reduce chronotropic and inotropic effect to meet the new level of blood delivery supplied by the stenosed vasculature so that it is adequate.