Editing Infarction (section)

==Causes==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2011}}
Infarction occurs as a result of prolonged [[ischemia]], which is the insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrition to an area of tissue due to a disruption in blood supply.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heusch |first=Gerd |date=2024-01-12 |title=Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion: Translational pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666634023004051 |journal=Med |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=10–31 |doi=10.1016/j.medj.2023.12.007 |issn=2666-6340}}</ref> The blood vessel supplying the affected area of tissue may be blocked due to an obstruction in the vessel (e.g.,&nbsp;an [[arterial embolus]], [[thrombus]], or [[atherosclerotic plaque]]), compressed by something outside of the vessel causing it to narrow (e.g.,&nbsp;[[tumor]], [[volvulus]], or [[hernia]]), ruptured by trauma causing a loss of blood pressure downstream of the rupture, or vasoconstricted, which is the narrowing of the blood vessel by contraction of the muscle wall rather than an external force (e.g.,&nbsp;cocaine vasoconstriction leading to [[myocardial infarction]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Infarction - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/infarction#:~:text=Infarction%20is%20tissue%20death%20or,,%20lung,%20etc.). |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref>
[[File:Atherosclerosis timeline - endothelial dysfunction.svg|left|thumb|200x200px|Infarction could be caused by damaged cholesterol plaque]]
[[Hypertension]] and [[atherosclerosis]] are risk factors for both [[atherosclerotic plaque]]s and [[thromboembolism]]. In atherosclerotic formations, a plaque develops under a fibrous cap. When the fibrous cap is degraded by metalloproteinases released from macrophages or by intravascular shear force from blood flow, subendothelial thrombogenic material ([[extracellular matrix]]) is exposed to circulating platelets and thrombus formation occurs on the vessel wall [[Vascular occlusion|occluding]] blood flow. Occasionally, the plaque may rupture and form an [[Embolism|embolus]] which travels with the blood-flow downstream to where the vessel narrows and eventually clogs the vessel lumen.