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prettygoodwordischemia (ih-SKEE-mee-uh) - n., a decrease in the blood supply to an organ, tissue, or body part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels.
Such as an ischemic stroke, typically caused by a blood clot blocking an artery in the brain, or cardiac ischemia, in which the vessels delivering blood to the heart muscle become clogged. Pretty much any part of the body can be affected, given pretty much every part of the body needs blood flow. Coined in 1855 in New (i.e., Medical) Latin as ischaemia, from ischaemus, styptic, from Ancient Greek ischaimos, styptic, literally a stopping of the blood, from iskhein, to keep back/hold + haima, blood. So the transition was from something that helps stop bleeding to something that hurts by stopping blood flow -- hmm.
---L.
Such as an ischemic stroke, typically caused by a blood clot blocking an artery in the brain, or cardiac ischemia, in which the vessels delivering blood to the heart muscle become clogged. Pretty much any part of the body can be affected, given pretty much every part of the body needs blood flow. Coined in 1855 in New (i.e., Medical) Latin as ischaemia, from ischaemus, styptic, from Ancient Greek ischaimos, styptic, literally a stopping of the blood, from iskhein, to keep back/hold + haima, blood. So the transition was from something that helps stop bleeding to something that hurts by stopping blood flow -- hmm.
---L.
