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Angina
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Angina is heart pain caused by an imbalance between oxygen demand and its supply to the heart muscle. It is usually brought on by exertion. Angina can be caused by cholesterol build-up within a blood vessel or an arterial spasm. The heart needs oxygen to do its work. The heart gets its oxygen from the blood flowing through the coronary arteries. Angina can occur if there is an increase in the heart’s workload that exceeds the arteries’ ability to supply enough oxygen to satisfy the heart’s needs.
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Angina is recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that results from temporary inadequate blood flow to the heart. The pain is characterized as squeezing or crushing pain originating in the center of the chest, behind the breastbone. Pain may ... be felt in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaws or back. In addition, there can be a heavy feeling or feeling of tightness, pressure or squeezing in the chest.
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Angina pain or discomfort can take a few minutes to build up, and can last anywhere from two to 10 minutes. The pain usually goes away once you stop to rest. In addition to any daily angina medicines your doctor may have prescribed, people with angina usually receive a prescription from their doctor for a medication called short-acting nitroglycerin, to be taken when angina strikes. The tablet is placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve when signs of angina first appear. Some doctors may prescribe a short-acting nitroglycerin spray instead of tablets. Relief provided by short-acting nitroglycerin may occur within seconds to minutes.
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Angina sufferers experience a tight squeezing or heavy pressure in the chest that appears immediately following physical exertion. The pain begins in the chest and can spread to the throat, arms, jaws, between the shoulder blades and can radiate into the stomach, resulting in feelings much like an ulcer or indigestion. Although many angina sufferers report pain during an attack, some describe feelings of tightness or heaviness without pain. Other symptoms include nausea, shortness of breath and sweating.
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Angina attacks can be triggered by physical activity such as exercising at the gym or walking up a hill. Emotional tension, such as frustration or anger, as well as chills, fever, low blood sugar, and abnormally fast heartbeats can ... bring on an angina attack. Eating (big meals in particular) can cause an angina attack. It has been suggested that this is a result of an increase in the heart's demand for oxygen. However, new evidence has shown that angina might also occur after a meal because there may be less blood flowing through arteries in the heart that may already have a partial blockage.5
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Angina is first treated by controlling factors that put a person at risk. Risk factors include cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and obesity. Angina is often controlled by medication, usually nitroglycerin. This drug relieves angina pain by increasing the diameter of the bloodvessels carrying blood to the heart muscle. Nitroglycerin is taken wheneverdiscomfort occurs or is expected. It may be taken by mouth by placing the tablet under the tongue or through the skin with a medicated patch.
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