Ischaemic heart diseases occurs when the coronary arteries narrow to such an extent that they are unable to transport sufficient blood to the heart muscle for it to function efficiently. The most common cause of this narrowing is atherosclerosis, the accumulation of lipid plaques on the arterial walls. This is a slow process and as it progresses the starvation of the heart muscle is believed to encourage the other. This mitigates the effects of atherosclerosis but the heart can still be starved of oxygen when placed under stress. The straining heart muscle can demand more oxygen than the narrow arteries can provide and if the supply of blood is very much less than the amount required the region is rendered virtually bloodless (infacrceted) and dies.
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