Skip to main content
What Is Angina Pectoris?
Cardiac Sciences

What Is Angina Pectoris?

What Is Angina Pectoris? Sep 30, 2023

Overview

Derived from the Latin phrase that translates to “strangling in the chest”, Angina pectoris, or just angina, is often a term which is used to describe chest pain or discomfort. Usually temporary in nature, this pain is often caused by decreased blood flow to the heart muscle characterized by a squeezing sensation in the chest region. Owing to the reduction in the blood flow, there is a lack of oxygen supplied to the heart muscle thus resulting in chest pain. Furthermore, this pain might even radiate to other parts including the arms, neck, shoulders, and the shoulder blades on the back. Moreover, because of the temporary nature of this pain – usually between 1 to 15 minutes – Angina is considered to be a precursor or a symptom of an underlying coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease occurs as a result of the narrowing of the coronary arteries that are responsible for carrying blood and oxygen to the heart muscle.

In addition, despite not being a heart attack per se, Angina can put an individual under higher risk for a heart attack which is why immediate medical attention is suggested if any discomfort is experienced. Angina can be further classified into three types:

  1. Stable Angina as the name suggests entails that there’s no immediate danger to the patient and may feel like gas or indigestion. This is also regarded as the most common type of Angina and the associated pain usually lasts for anywhere under 10 minutes. The trigger for this angina is ordinarily because of intense physical activity or severe exertion or even anxiety or emotional stress. This pain can be relieved within a few minutes by taking appropriate rest or by taking the prescribed cardiac medications.
  2. Unstable angina is less common and does not follow a regular pattern. It is also considered to be a more serious version of Angina because rest and medication do little to relieve the person. As a matter of fact, this normally strikes the person during periods of rest and lasts longer coupled with symptoms which are more acute and serious in nature.
  3. Variant and Microvascular Angina Variant or Prinzmetal’s angina and microvascular angina are quite rare as compared to the above two. Variant Angina is caused by coronary spasm which results in the coronary artery getting temporarily narrowed thus causing a shortage of blood supply to the heart. It can be relieved by medicine. Microvascular angina, on the other hand, is a recently discovered type of angina and can cause chest pain in the patients even if they don’t seem to have a blockage present in the coronary artery. This pain can be caused as a result of a fault in the tiny blood vessels responsible for feeding the heart, arms, and legs.

Symptoms

Angina symptoms may resemble other medical conditions or problems and every patient may experience symptoms differently. Patients can suffer from the following symptoms including:

  • Numbness or a loss of feeling in the arms, shoulders, or wrists.
  • A sense of discomfort in the jaw, neck, arms, upper abdomen, shoulder or back
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue and nausea accompanied by bouts of dizziness
  • A feeling of burning or intense pain across the chest
  • A pain quite similar to indigestion or heartburn

Diagnosis

Angina is diagnosed by a doctor by initially conducting a physical examination. The doctor might also ask the individuals questions pertaining to the symptoms experienced, risk factors and family history. Risk factors can include genetics, smoking, lipid abnormalities, stress, age, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. That being said, in order to diagnose Angina, the following tests may be performed:

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Blood tests
  • Chest x-ray
  • Nuclear stress test
  • CT Scans
  • Coronary angiography
  • MRI
  • Catheter angiography
  • Echocardiogram

Treatment

A treatment plan is determined by the physician after taking into consideration factors such as the age of the patient, overall health, previous medical history, and the type of Angina. The objective of the treatment plan is to help reduce symptoms, decrease overall risk, and improve the patient’s quality of life. Accordingly, the following changes are suggested:

  • Lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, reducing and managing stress better, avoidance of consuming large meals, discontinuing the use of tobacco products, cutting down on alcohol consumption, and exercising moderately and regularly are suggested.
  • Medications including nitroglycerin, beta-blockers, oral anti-platelet medicines, and calcium channel blockers. These medications are aimed at allowing more blood flow to the heart muscle and decreasing the workload of the heart.
  • In certain cases, surgical procedures such as Angioplasty & Coronary artery bypass grafting are recommended in order to treat angina and improve the blood supply to the heart.

Categories

Clear all

Related Blogs

View all
Cardiovascular Disease Management In Covid 19
Cardiac Sciences

Cardiovascular Disease Management In Covid 19

admin Jan 23, 2024
Understanding The Signs of Heart Attack
Cardiac Sciences

Understanding The Signs of Heart Attack

admin Jan 16, 2024
Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting
Cardiac Sciences

Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting

admin Mar 18, 2023
Know About Thoracic Aortic Dissection
Cardiac Sciences

Know About Thoracic Aortic Dissection

admin Apr 29, 2024
Myth Or Fact: Exercise Must Be Avoided After Having A Heart Attack
Cardiac Sciences

Myth Or Fact: Exercise Must Be Avoided After Having A Heart Attack

Myth Or Fact: Exercise Must Be Avoided After Having A Heart Attack Nov 19, 2021
Heal-Thy Heart
Cardiac Sciences

Heal-Thy Heart

Dr. Ankur Ahuja Oct 31, 2023
Signs of Heart Attack
Cardiac Sciences

Signs of Heart Attack

admin Jan 23, 2024
Lipids And Heart Health
Cardiac Sciences

Lipids And Heart Health

admin Oct 11, 2023
Cardiac Emergencies
Cardiac Sciences

Cardiac Emergencies

Dr. Rakesh Kumar Jaswal Sep 03, 2019
Emotional Health For A Healthy Heart
Cardiac Sciences

Emotional Health For A Healthy Heart

Dr. Arun Kochar Jan 17, 2017
barqut

Keep track of your appointments, get updates & more!

app-store google-play
Request callback