Angina Pain

Angina Pain






Angina pectoris or chest pain produces squeezing effect on your chest. It is formed when there is disruption of blood flow in the heart muscles. Angina is indicative of coronary heart problem and it gives tightness or heaviness to the chest. An individual getting this sort of chest pain may feel as though someone is standing on his chest and squeezing it. The pain can be relatively common but it is difficult to differentiate Angina Pain from other types of chest pain.

Symptoms :

Angina pain is associated with some of the symptoms like chest pain, discomfort, nausea, pain spreading to arms and neck, extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, restlessness, sweating and confusion. There would be fullness feeling in the chest and high pressure on this area. It is often described as squeezing pain or placing heavy weight on the chest.

The symptoms may vary from one person to other and also the rate of severity. However if you find new type of chest pain or discomfort you should seek immediate medical advice.

Stable angina is marked by the following features. It may develop when you put your heart to hard work like that of strenuous exercises or climbing stairs rapidly. This type of chest pain can be predicted and the same person would have experienced the same earlier. The duration of the pain will be maximum 5 minutes or even less. You may feel symptoms of indigestion and the pain may spread to left shoulder or back. The stable angina gets induced when you are in emotional state of mind.

Unstable angina type is more alarming than the earlier one. It may occur even when you are sleeping. The pain would be different and not the usual one. The pain may occur at sudden or unexpected moments. It may lasts for more time (probably 30 minutes or even one hour) than stable angina pain. Unstable angina is indicative of Heart Attack.

Causes :

The main cause for angina pain is decrease in oxygenated blood flow to the heart muscle. This condition is described as Ischemia and is characteristic feature of coronary heart disease. Here the arteries gets narrowed down or constricted due to repeated deposits of fat particles called plague. This condition is called atherosclerosis.

As said earlier, stable angina is triggered when you are exercising during which it becomes difficult for the heart to meet the normal function due to reduced oxygen supply. Living in cold climate and taking heavy meals can trigger stable angina apart from heightened emotion.

Unstable angina pain can be the result of blood clot formed in the arteries of the heart. It occurs almost suddenly and may lead to sudden decrease of blood flow to the heart. Conditions of anemia can induce this problem in addition to narrowing of coronary arteries. It may lead to heart attack when the muscle or tissues dies due to lack of oxygen.

Who are at risk ?

Obesity, use of tobacco, diabetes mellitus, high Blood Pressure, increased blood cholesterol, old age, stressful situation and lack of exercise are the factors that may trigger angina pain. People with history of coronary heart disease are also under the risk of getting angina.

Diagnoses :

Your doctor will examine you physically after hearing to the symptoms. He may perform tests like ECG, chest X-ray, stress test, blood test (to check leakage of enzymes) and coronary angiography. Not all the tests are done for the same patient and the nature of test varies with the symptoms and health condition of the person.

Treatment :

Medications, angioplasty and lifestyle changes are the best possible treatment for angina. Depending on the severity of the symptoms and health condition of the patient, treatment may vary. However the purpose of treatment is to reduce the symptoms and lowering the risk of getting heart attack.

Medications like aspirin are given for reducing blood clot formation and for removing the constriction of the arteries. Nitrates are prescribed for controlling angina pain and for widening the blood vessels. Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers are helpful in relaxing the blood vessels and improving blood flow.

Ace Inhibitors are administered for controlling blood pressure and for easing out the congestion in the narrowed arteries.

For some patients, angioplasty is done for widening the artery to facilitate normal blood flow. In severe cases, coronary artery surgery (bypass) is done for clearing the block and a bypass is created for preventing narrowing of arteries.

Lifestyle changes :

For people who are diabetic, medications are given suitably to manage blood sugar level. For obese persons, dieting and exercising is the best option. For those who work in stressful environment, it is necessary to take a short break and practice meditation and relaxation techniques to reduce stress. Avoid eating large meals that gives bloating. Include healthy and nutritious meal plan and practice exercise daily.

Angina Pain – Location, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Angina%20Pain">Angina Pain – Location, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Angina Pain Location

Angina is typically described as a squeezing, heaviness, pressure, tightness or pain in the middle or the left side of the chest. Many individuals have stated that angina feels like someone is standing on the chest.

Angina can often be hard to distinguish from other kinds of chest pain for instance pain or discomfort of indigestion.

Angina Pain Symptoms

Angina symptoms consist of:

• Chest discomfort or pain


• Pain in the neck, arms, jaw, back or shoulder associated with pain in the chest


• Fatigue


• Nausea


• Breathing shortness


• Anxiety


• Dizziness


• Sweating

The discomfort or chest pain that is frequent with angina is often defined as fullness, pressure, and pain or squeezing in the middle of the chest. Some individuals with angina describe it as if the chest is being squeezed by a vise or feels like a weight that is heavy has been put on the chest.

The duration, type as well as the severity of angina may vary. It is significant to distinguish if this is changing or new chest pain. Different or new symptoms can be a signal of a more perilous angina – unstable angina – or a Heart Attack.

Stable angina characteristics

• Triggers when exercising or climbing stairs or any activity when the heart must work harder


• Can be predicted since this pain is normally similar to prior chest pain


• Lasts only a short period of time, 5 minutes or even less


• Goes away sooner when the individual rests or uses medication for angina


• Often resembles indigestion


• May spread to the back, arms or other parts of the of the body


• May also be brought on by emotional or mental stress

Unstable angina characteristics – medical emergency!

• Happens even while resting


• Unexpected


• Change in the usual form of angina


• Lasts longer and is more serious than angina that is stable, perhaps as long as ½ hour.


• Might not end with medication for angina or with rest


• Can be a signal or indication of a heart attack

Prinzmetal’s or variant angina characteristic

• Normally occurs when individual is at rest


• Often severe


• Can be comforted by medication for angina

Women with angina – A woman’s symptoms of angina may be unlike the symptoms that are classic for angina. For instance, a woman can have pain in the chest that resembles pulsating, sharp or stabbing type of pain in the chest instead of the characteristic vise-like pressure. Also women are likely to have symptoms such as shortening of breath, nausea or pain in the abdomen. These variances can lead to postponements in pursuing treatment.

Angina Pain Causes

The cause of angina is blood flow reduction to the muscle of the heart. Blood transports oxygen, which the muscle of the heart needs to persist. When the muscle of the heart is not getting sufficient oxygen, it triggers a condition referred to as ischemia.

The more frequent cause of blood flow that is reduced to the muscle of the heart is Coronary Artery Disease or CAD. The heart or coronary arteries may become narrow because of fatty deposits called plaques. This is referred to as atherosclerosis.

Angina that is stable
Angina that is stable normally brought on by physical exertion. When the individual climb stairs, walks or exercises, the heart wants more blood, but it is harder for this muscle to get the amount of blood when the arteries are narrowed. In addition to physical activity, other factors such as emotional stress, heavy meals, cold temperatures as well as smoking also may cause the arteries to narrow and cause angina.
Angina that is unstable
If plaque or fatty deposits in a blood vessel ruptures or forms a blood clot, it may quickly block or reduce the flowing of blood thru a narrowed artery, suddenly as well as severely lessen the flow of blood to the muscle of the heart. Unstable angina gets worse and is not relieved by rest or the usual angina medications. If the flow of blood does not improve, the muscle of the heart that is deprived of oxygen dies – a heart attack. Unstable angina is dangerous as well as needs emergency treatment.

You're reading Angina Pain – Location, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment posted by minhhai2d, the information is for reference only.

Angina that is variant
This angina is caused by a spasm in a coronary artery where the artery will momentarily narrow. This narrowing also reduces the flow of blood to the heart, causing chest pain. Variant angina is rare and accounts for only about 2% of cases of angina.

Angina Pain Treatment

There are lots of options for the treatment of angina including:

• Medications


• Lifestyle changes


• Coronary bypass surgery


• Angioplasty and stenting

If the angina is very minor, modification of lifestyle can be all that is needed. Even if the angina is serious, these lifestyle changes may still help.

Lifestyle changes consist of:

• No smoking. Also avoid smoke that is secondhand


• If overweight, consider Weight Loss choices


• Diabetics need to have the diabetes well controlled


• With exercise, pace yourself as well as take breaks to rest


• Evade meals that are large


• Avoid stress and look for things that help you relax


• Eat healthy by limiting saturated fats, consuming plenty of whole grains as well as fruits and vegetables

Medications

When changes in lifestyle by itself do not help angina, the individual could need to take drugs. These consist of:

Aspirin
Aspirin lessens the capability of the blood to clot, helping it to be much easier for the flow of blood thru heart arteries that are narrowed. Stopping Blood Clots also can reduce the risk of heart attack.

Nitrates
Nitrates widen and relax the blood vessels allowing additional blood flow to the muscle of the heart. The more common type of nitrate is nitroglycerin tablets that are put under the tongue.

Beta blockers
These work thru blocking the hormone epinephrine, identified as adrenaline. This makes the heart beat slower and with less force and reduces the Blood Pressure. The also helps blood vessels improve blood flow by relaxing and opening up.

Statins
These are medications used to help lower blood cholesterol.

Calcium channel blockers
These widen and relax the blood vessels thru affecting the cells of the muscle in the walls of the arteries. This increases the flow of blood to the heart.

“Angiotensin-converting enzyme” or Ace Inhibitors
These drugs help relax blood vessels.

Medical procedures and surgery

Angioplasty with stenting
During this procedure, a small balloon is put in the narrowed artery. After inflating the balloon the artery is widened and a very small wire coiled mesh – stent – is normally inserted in order to open and keep open the artery.

Coronary arteries bypass surgery
This surgery involves an artery or vein from another area of the body being used to bypass or evade a heart artery that is narrowed or blocked. This will increase blood flow to the heart and eliminate or reduce angina.