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hypoxia vs. ischemia

hypoxia vs. ischemia: What's the difference?

Hypoxia refers to a lack of oxygen, and is used either to refer to the environment (as in a swamp) or to a medical condition. Ischemia refers to a lack of blood in a body part produced by constriction of the blood vessels or local obstacles to blood flow.

hypoxia

noun

  1. Biology. a very low level of oxygen, as in an organic environment:

    The fish have developed a tolerance to the hypoxia of the swamp.

  2. Pathology. an abnormally low amount of oxygen in the body tissues: Compare anoxia ( def 2 ), hypoxemia.

    Premature newborns are routinely placed in incubators to treat or prevent hypoxia.

ischemia

noun

Pathology.
  1. local deficiency of blood supply produced by vasoconstriction or local obstacles to the arterial flow.