Ischemia occurs when there is a loss of blood flow through the coronary arteries to the myocardium. If left untreated this situation leads of myocardial infarction. The loss of blood flow occurs when an artherosclerotic plaque occludes one or more coronary arteries.
Artherosclerotic plaques consist of many substances including fibrin, cholesterol, and calcium.
Artherosclerosis is not limited to coronary arteries. When plaques form in the carotid arteries of the neck TIAs and strokes may occur. Plaques in the iliac or femoral arteries cause ischemia to the lower extremities causing claudication, the primary symptom of peripheral vascular disease. Currently, CAD is treated using three methods. One is pharmacologic therapy in which a cardiologist prescribes different drugs such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and nitroglycerine to dilated the coronary arteries and improve blood flow.