ischemia or ischaemia

n. Insufficient blood supply to an organ or tissue due to abnormalities in the blood vessels irrigating it. It can be due to different conditions such as atherosclerosis (obstruction of arteries consequent to lipid-laden plaques), hypotension (low blood pressure), thromboembolism (clots or foreign elements moving in the artery system), and compression of the artery vessels due to an increase in the surrounding pressure. Some organs are particularly sensitive to the insufficient blood supply, such as the brain and the heart. Cell death (infarct or necrosis) will occur after some time. A transient ischemic attack is a temporary disturbance of brain functions caused by an ischemia but recovering in usually less than 24 hours.

- AA