Page Contents
What is Angina Pectoris?
The heart is definitely on the top list of the most important muscles of the body, in fact, it could very well be the most important muscle in the body, because every single part of your body depends on the cardiac muscle to supply them with nutrient rich and oxygenated blood. One of the most dreaded conditions that affect this very vital muscle is angina pectoris or simply, angina. Angina pectoris is experienced as a very severe kind of pain in the chest area caused by an ischemia or lack of blood flow to a particular region of the heart, this lack of blood supply can result from a number of conditions like spasms of the blood vessels or a partial or complete obstruction of the blood vessels supplying the heart
Although severe, the pain felt from angina should only last for a short period of time and will not last for more than a few minutes, anything more than that heralds a more serious condition like a heart attack. Angina pectoris should be differentiated from a heart attack on the basis that angina only involves temporary loss of oxygenation and blood supply to a part of the heart while a heart attack means that a certain section of the cardiac muscle is infracted, or dies from the prolonged lack of blood and oxygen, so in effect, angina is not heart attack but it can definitely lead to it if not given prompt attention. It is also worth mentioning that not all feelings of chest pain is angina, a number of other conditions from asthma, to GERD or gastro-esophageal reflux disease, to muscle strain, to respiratory tract infections, can also present with symptoms of chest pain.
There are two classifications under angina pectoris, their difference lies in the onset of the symptoms and the matter at which the chest pain presents itself.
Stable Angina Pectoris
Stable angina is the kind of angina pectoris that is also known as the effort angina since the chest pain is usually felt after an activity that places a heavier workload on the cardiac muscles. These activities can be anywhere between sitting up, to jogging or running, depending on the current condition and health of the patient. The chest pain generally subsides when the individual lies down or rests up, no chest pain can be felt whenever the heart is not exerting any extra effort. Stable angina pectoris is the “less serious” kind of angina between the two classifications.
Unstable Angina Pectoris
In contrast to stable angina, unstable angina can occur anytime without regard to the patient’s heart load or activity, it has also been termed as crescendo angina because the pain tends to worsen even if the patient assumes a resting position. Unstable angina presents with this kind of symptom because it has a different patho-physiology compare to stable angina, the three signs that definitely point to unstable angina are the following: it crops up even when the person’s heart is at rest, the pain gradually increases over time and the pain felt becomes prolonged and more severe with every episode.
Angina Pectoris Symptoms
This condition does not only involve chest pain, there are other sets of symptoms that can be attributed to angina pectoris and here are some of them: heaviness, pressure, pressing discomfort over the general chest area, GERD like symptoms of an acid burning sensation on the chest, the discomfort spreads from the upper abdomen to the back, up to the neck and shoulders, to the upper extremities and the jaw, fainting, dizziness, cold clammy skin, cold sweats, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, elevated and irregular heart rate, and increased anxiety
Picture 1: Person exhibiting the condition Angina pectoris
Picture 2 : Radiating Pain of Angina Pectoris (Marked in red)
Image source: Paraorkut.com
Signs of Angina Pectoris
When experiencing any of the signs of angina pectoris, the most vital thing to remember is the huge role that time plays in this situation, because this condition can lead to a much more serious heart ailment if not treated in time. This is especially true for people who have experienced angina pectoris for the very first time because there is no telling if the pain can immediately proceed to a more serious condition that kills the cardiac muscles. It is therefore important that these signs of angina pectoris warrant swift and immediate attention to prevent any losses of cardiac muscles due to an infarction.
Pathophysiology of Angina Pectoris
The normal heart muscle s or myocardium are supplied by healthy blood vessels like coronary arteries, the blood supply caries the much need oxygen and nutrition for the cardiac muscles. With genetics and lifestyle playing major roles in the development of this disease, an abnormal amount of fats, platelets, and blood clots start to deposit on the walls of the coronary arteries, this cause the blood vessels’ diameter to shrink and in effect, reduces the amount of blood that is able to pass through it. As time goes by, more and more debris accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels and make the passage way of blood even tighter, when a person with this condition starts to do an activity that makes the heart go through an extra load, the oxygen and blood supply requirements of the heart muscles also increase, only this time, the adequate amount of blood can no longer pass through the narrowed blood vessels leading to an ischemia, this is where the chest pain comes in.
Angina Pectoris Treatment
The most common and first line treatment for angina is Nitroglycerin. It works by increasing the diameter of blood vessels through dilation and effectively raising the blood flow to the heart. Different calcium channel blockers and beta blockers are also used to decrease the activity of the myocardium which also decreases its demand for blood or oxygen.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angina_pectoris
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/angina_pectoris/page2_em.htm
