Angina is a kind of chest pain caused by decreased bloodstream. It occurs due to the lack of blood in the heart muscle and provokes unpleasant feelings continuing for a few minutes, particularly during exercising or doing other physical activities. This illness is believed to be a sign of atherosclerosis characterized by specific symptoms of angina, for example: load, tightness or arduous ache in the breast. A lot of patients describe their feelings as something heavyweight pressing their breast.
Although this disorder is widely spread, sometimes it can be a catch 22 situation to determine its presence in a human organism. Angina can develop in different ways: it may be a result of another condition or the illness alone. Possible variants of therapy include much rest, taking medicines, going through the course of cardiac treatment or a surgical intervention. If you suffer from regular chest ache, you should immediately visit a specialist and go through the course of angina treatment.
Angina causes
The illness originates due to a reduction of bloodstream to the heart. The blood contains oxygen that is necessary for circulation. When the heart muscle doesn’t get enough amount of this chemical element, there is a risk of occuring ischemia. One of the theories of provoking angina pain is coronary heart illness. It develops as a result of artery narrowing due to the fat congestion, namely plaques. Sometimes having the lack of oxygen in blood enables the patient to operate normally without experiencing angina diagnosis, subject to lying position. The situation can change during exercising. Due to the fact that there are different types of angina, each of them can result from various factors:
- Stable angina. This type is usually induced by doing sports or active intense moving. While going up the stairs, walking, workouting or running your heart requires more blood and contracted arteries retard your bloodstream. The spasms can continue approximately five minutes. Also, it may be provoked by weather jumps, psychological disbalance, obesity and intense smoking.
- Prinzmetal’s angina, that is provoked by unexpected arterial spasms, causing chest ache during sleep or resting. Tobacco and drug use, stress, several medications against cardiovascular diseases may also trigger angina causes.
- Unstable angina. In case of plaque tearing inside the vines there can develop blood gores ending up with aorta narrowing. This poser may significantly affect the circulation. Besides, the condition may result from the blood-clot-blockage. Among all types of angina, this one is the most hazardous and severe ending up with stroke, heart attacks or some spasms lasting for half an hour. It is impossible to be healed by general medications or recreation and demands serious treatment.
Symptoms of angina
There is a variety of factors that are able characterise stable vs unstable angina:
- breast ache;
- pain in particular parts of the body;
- dizziness;
- exhaustance;
- feeling glum;
- trouble breathing;
- stomach ache;
- pouring with sweat.
Consult the doctor to identify which kind of illness you experience to be aware of angina attack what to do.
Angina diagnosis
While seeing a specialist you have to tell about the symptoms, yours and family’s medical records. Then the patient has to undergo general examination and take some tests, including:
- blood sample;
- electrocardiogram;
- physical examination;
- x-ray;
- nuclear- and chemical-stress testing;
- arterial angiogram.
Only after that the doctor can make a diagnosis and prescribe further steps of curing.
Angina treatment
Depending on diverse types of angina there are different ways how to treat the illness. You can be advised to take nitroglycerin and other medicines to reduce arterial pressure, normalise the heartbeat, alleviate nervousness or improve your circulation. Some cases can require various types of surgery or immediate hospitalization.
