Can ischemic heart disease give swollen pitting oedema in feet/ankles

[Daizy300]

Another thing I was wondering, can ischemic heart disease trigger, swollen feet and ankles too?

Many thanks,

[kenkeith]

Thank you for serving our country!.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a vascular disease due to coronary vessels that do not have the ability or loss the ability to adequately provide good oxygenated blood flow to the heart cells.

The loss of a good oxygenated blood supply to the heart cells causes a heart wall movement disorder of the area deficit of the blood, and if untreated that can/will cause a failure of the heart to contract forcefully enough to pump an adequate supply of blood to meet the oxygen system's demand.

You have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and treated with stent implants. It seems to me to have a viable claim it would be related to heart damage caused by CAD, and there may have been acknowledgement by VA Secretary that all CAD caused by Agent Orange has to some degree resulted in heart damage. Your disability wouldn't be due to the CAD but rather to the heart damage caused by the CAD and that would be our claim's position, and the VA Secretary may take the postion that all CAD has to some degree damaged the heart's viability.

Thanks for sharing and if you have any followup questions feel free to respond.  Take care.

[mavrosr]

I am a Vietnam vet and was exsposed to agent orange in 1969.  The VA Secretary made a decision to add ischemic heart disease to the list. I have had 11 stents put into my heart since I was 43 yr of age and I am 60 now. Could you tell me a little about ischemic heart disease and what it actully does. Thank you Marty

[kenkeith]

You are welcome.

[Daizy300]

Yes, many thanks, it does hep to understand.

[kenkeith]

Myocardial ischemia is specific to a heart area that lacks an adequate blood supply due to narrow (occlusion, etc.) coronary vessels (inadequate perfussion) and the location has a condition of hypoxia.  

Hypoxia is a reduction blood supply to heart tissues dispite an adequate perfusion (no vessel blockage) of blood. Major causes of hypoxia include heart attacks, asthma, pulmonary embolism, severe head trauma, chronic alveolar hypoventilation, carbon monoxide poisoning, suffocation and choking. Any circumstance due to which the body is deprived of oxygen can result in hypoxia. When the body doesn't receive the required amount of oxygen supply, it results in a low partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood and cause symtoms not unlike symptoms from cardiac ischemia.

Hope this helps give you a perspective.

[Daizy300]

Hi Ken, what other reasons could there be ishchemia other than blockages, athero and anemia?  

FNx

[kenkeith]

To give you a perspective regarding heart issues and peripheral edema.  The right side of the heart receives blood from the vascular system to be pumped to the lungs to be oxygenated.  If the right ventricle does not pump efectively the peripheral vessels backup and fluids leak into the tissues. Or the left ventricle can fail to pump effectively and the blood backs up into the lungs causing pulmonary edema and sometimes the peripherals as well.

If ischemia (lack of blood flow) has advanced to cause heart failure (EF below 29%), as stated in the previous paragraph blood can back up in the peripherals and leak fluids into the tissues, and left side failure (failure could be related to ischemia) will leak fluids into the lungs (pulmonary edema).  

If you have any follow up questions, feel welcome to post.  As Chatter/Ally suggests, you should consult with a doctor to rule out anything really serious.  Take care and hope this gives you information that will help in consultation with a doctor. .  

[ChatterAlly]

Yes, my feet swell daily.  Right now my left foot is numb because the artery that supplies blood to that leg is blocked again.  Take care and get checked out soon.  This is nothing to take lightly.  Ally