Ischemic Heart Disease Essay

The Definition of Ischemic Heart Disease

The term ischemia refers to a situation whereby blood supply to a certain anatomical segment of the body has been limited; hence oxygen and nutrient supply is interfered with. Consequently, Ischemic Heart Disease refers to the impaired blood flow to the blood pumping organ; the heart. Ischemic heart disease is one of the major causes of death in the west, considering that over 3 million Americans are affected annually (Seki and Fishbein 1009).

The Causes of Ischemic Heart Disease

The myocardium is supplied by the coronary arteries exclusively, and hence the blockage in these blood vessels means the heart cannot access enough nutrients and oxygen from alternative quarters. Despite the often confounding angiographic images of the coronary lumens; Atherosclerosis is one of the primary causes of ischemic heart disease. Signs include angina, which results from the reduced diameter of coronary arteries following the deposition of fat debris (Špinar 436). At an advanced stage, ischemic heart disease would normally lead to heart attacks, because atheromatous plaques would have then caused the rapture of coronary arterial walls.

The Importance and Impact of Ischemic Heart Disease

At a personal level, ischemic heart disease is important because it has affected two close relatives. One of whom is as healthy as he can be and he watches what he eats, exercises, does not smoke and takes care of himself. He is in his early 40s. The other is in his 70s, but he does not watch how he eats, he smokes and does not exercise. Consequently, the disease cuts across all lifestyle practices and age groups. The adverse effects of ischemic heart disease are escalating in society, yet the causes, diagnosis, symptoms and signs, prevention, and treatment, as well as the management of this condition, remains confounding. Hence research to avert the loss of more lives is desirable. Indeed, to gather more insight about the causation, implications, and potential new treatments for ischemic heart disease; it is not only essential to carry out more studies but also critical to acquire funding grants for the research.

The Need for Increased Funding for Research on Ischemic Heart Disease

The Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the National Institutes of Health dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars for healthcare and research; yet less is reserved for the studies to gain more insight on cardiovascular diseases, especially the ischemic heart disease condition (Špinar 431). On the contrary, the National Institutes of Health spends more (beyond 2 billion) on cardiovascular diseases other than the top killer disease in America (Seki and Fishbein 1011). Nevertheless, while ischemic heart disease is also a primary beneficiary in the funding, much money is dedicated to curative and management services, hence barely 12 percent of the fund is left for research on the unknown facts about the disease (Sanchis-Gomar et al. 124). Furthermore, in the last three financial years, it appears that funding for the ischemic heart disease both at the federal and state levels is shrinking, while the adverse effects of the disease in the American population is gaining escalation (Seki and Fishbein 998). Because ischemic heart disease appears among the top ailments causing disability and death in the country, there is a need for more funding to research the possible new treatments for this condition.

The Impact of Funding on Ischemic Heart Disease and Other Killer Diseases

In the year 1990 and 2010, ischemic heart disease topped the list of the least funded yet the most killer diseases in the American population, together with other cardiovascular ailments (Sanchis-Gomar et al. 112). Some of the other diseases that were among the top ten killer conditions included lower respiratory tract infections, breast cancer, liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, and stroke; research finding shows that adequate funding for treatment and management as well as for studies on these diseases has had a significant effect on the prevalence, incidence, morbidity, and mortality rates (Špinar 436). Consequently, it would be beneficial to invest in the research for the possible cause of complications, escalated contractions, and treatment of ischemic heart disease as well. In 2010, because of the threatening adverse effects of ischemic heart disease, more funding was done to improve the quality of service delivery, regarding specialized medical care and timely diagnosis. However, out of the 1.56 billion dollars allocated by the National Institutes of Health, barely 2 percent was available for research (Sanchis-Gomar et al. 231). As such, despite the timely diagnosis, the death rates due to ischemic heart disease did not reduce significantly (Špinar 433). Such findings only serve to compel the stakeholders to embrace the idea that there is a great need to fund research projects that seek to demystify the causation, implications, and new treatment for ischemic heart disease. While both ischemic heart disease and breast cancer top on the list of the most killer disease in the US, in 2009, 19,342 dollars and 2,659 dollars for the two diseases respectively was provided to fund research on every individual death realized during the 2009/2010 financial year (Seki and Fishbein 1012). The disparity in funding for research in ischemic heart disease thus explains the increasing number of incidence, prevalence, and mortality of the population, a challenge which needs to be addressed if new, insightful, and medically relevant information on ischemic heart disease has to be realized.

Barriers to Funding for Ischemic Heart Disease Research

It is imperative to observe that there are barriers to funding for major and continued research on ischemic heart disease. One of the barriers is a misconception among stakeholders is that because the death rates caused by the ischemic heart disease in 2011 and 2016 reduced significantly, hence more research was not necessary (Sidhu and Boden 2909). The other barrier has been the feeling in the general population that since ischemic heart disease, just like most other cardiovascular diseases, is caused by lifestyle practices like smoking, occupation, and eating habits that lead to obesity; such causes are self-motivated. Thus little attention has been given to this disease. While such arguments are true, the reality is that over 51 percent of ischemic heart disease cases are beyond individual control (Sanchis-Gomar et al. 109). Therefore, such assumptions have to be overcome among stakeholders, and funding for more research should be embraced.

The Importance of Research in Ischemic Heart Disease

Indeed, there is an increasing need for funding to conduct research studies on the clinical trials as well as the primary causes of ischemic heart disease in this highly predisposed population. It is only through research that medical platforms of how to better prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage the disease can be realized. Through research, it will be practical to appreciate the fact that cardiovascular conditions claim the lives of one in every two Americans, and that for every six dollars spent on healthcare, one dollar is consumed by cardiovascular conditions. Furthermore, it is only through research studies that the expensive financial expenditure on ischemic heart disease as shown hitherto will be avoided. Indeed, research on how Americans can lead lifestyles that are healthy-heart friendly will be essential in comprehending the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease not only among the medical staff but also among in the general population. Therefore, it is indispensable for the federal and state as well as local governments and other global stakeholders to appreciate that it is critical to provide funds for more research to welcome better knowledge on the causes, implications, and new treatments for ischemic heart disease. The resultant evidence-based findings would be essential for containing the increased incidence, prevalence, and mortality cases of ischemic heart disease.

Works Cited

Sanchis-Gomar, Fabian et al. “Epidemiology of Coronary Heart Disease and Acute Coronary Syndrome.” Annals of Translational Medicine 2016: 1–256. Web.

Seki, A., and M. C. Fishbein. “Ischemic Heart Disease.” Pathobiology of Human Disease: A Dynamic Encyclopedia of Disease Mechanisms. N.p., 2014. 995–1013. Web.

Sidhu, Mandeep S., and William E. Boden. “Stable Ischemic Heart Disease.” PanVascular Medicine, Second Edition. N.p., 2015. 2109–2172. Web.

Špinar, Jindřich. “Hypertension and Ischemic Heart Disease.” Cor et Vasa 2012: e433–e438. Web.