What condition is characterized by necrosis of heart muscle due to prolonged ischemia?

What condition is characterized by necrosis of heart muscle due to prolonged ischemia?

• A. Myocardial infarction
• B. Angina pectoris
• C. Myocarditis
• D. Pericarditis

Answer: (A)

When heart muscle dies because blood flow is cut off for a prolonged period, that is a myocardial infarction. This condition results from a blockage of a coronary artery, causing oxygen and nutrient deprivation that leads to irreversible cell death in the affected area. The key here is necrosis of muscle tissue due to sustained ischemia, which distinguishes an infarction from reversible ischemia. Angina pectoris, by contrast, involves chest pain from temporary, reversible ischemia without tissue death. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle itself, often from infection or immune causes, and pericarditis is inflammation of the surrounding pericardial sac.

When heart muscle dies because blood flow is cut off for a prolonged period, that is a myocardial infarction. This condition results from a blockage of a coronary artery, causing oxygen and nutrient deprivation that leads to irreversible cell death in the affected area. The key here is necrosis of muscle tissue due to sustained ischemia, which distinguishes an infarction from reversible ischemia. Angina pectoris, by contrast, involves chest pain from temporary, reversible ischemia without tissue death. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle itself, often from infection or immune causes, and pericarditis is inflammation of the surrounding pericardial sac.