Among the several cardiac issues, angina exhibits rather subtle traits. Patients affected by angina tend to overlook it as minor pain. This lack of awareness results in heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions. However, angina itself isn't a disease, but a sign of deteriorating cardiac health.
What is angina?
Angina (also referred to as Angina Pectoris) may be a health condition related to left side pain. Intensity varies counting on the sort. The pain is typically felt as tightness, heaviness, squeezing or fullness. It happens when the cardiac muscles fail to receive enough blood supply.
What causes angina?
Angina is a condition whereby the inner walls of the arteries get excess fatty deposits referred to as plaques, thus narrowing them, leading to restrictive blood flow. The heart falls short on the minimum oxygen required for correct functioning. Possible risk factors include:
- Tobacco use
- Diabetes
- High vital sign
- High cholesterol
- old age
- Genetic factor
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Stress
- Anxiety etc.
Is angina a wake-up call of a heart attack?
To answer this, we've to seem into the three sorts of angina and their associated risks:
1. Stable Angina
The standard trigger for stable angina by workout, e.g. climbing stairs, exercising, etc. this is often because the guts require more oxygen to stay pace with the exertion, but fails to receive adequate blood thanks to narrowed arteries. Other factors like extreme cold, over-eating, mental stress, tobacco consumption, etc. also are liable for causing it. Characteristics of stable angina symptoms include:
- Develops during physical exertions predictable and almost like other sorts of pain
- Lasts for fewer than 5mins
- Disappears with rest or medication
2. Unstable Angina
Unstable Angina is a condition when the fatty deposits (plaques) on the inner walls of the arteries rapture, which creates blood clots that partially block the already narrowed arteries restricting the blood flow. Upon total blockage, the guts are bereft of oxygen, eventually resulting in asystole. Following are the characteristics of unstable angina:
- Occurs even when at rest
- Happens unexpectedly
- Is more severe than stable angina
- Lasts for quite 30mins
- Does not answer medications
3. Variant Angina
Also referred to as Prinzmetal’s Angina, it's the rarest of the three. It happens thanks to spasms that temporarily narrows the arteries reducing the blood flow to the guts causing pain. Drug abuse, tobacco, etc. are mainly liable for this, causing variant angina. Following are the characteristics:
- Usually happens when at rest
- Is more severe than stable angina
- May, or might not answer medications
[Note that only unstable angina is directly liable for causing heart attacks. However, the opposite two shouldn’t be ignored and can be treated with the simplest possible clinical methods.]
So what to try to do when diagnosed with angina?
Clinical prescriptions include the subsequent treatments for angina:
1. Lifestyle Alterations
For mild cases, lifestyle alterations are usually ready to treat angina. Recommended lifestyle changes include:
- Reducing tobacco consumption
- Going for medically prescribed weight loss programs
- Eating a diet
- Avoiding large meals
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Limiting alcohol consumption
2. Medications
When lifestyle changes fail, the subsequent medications are prescribed:
- Nitrates
- Aspirin
- Clot Preventing Drugs
- Beta-Blockers
- Statins
- Calcium Channel Blockers
- Blood Pressure Lowering Medications
- Ranolazine
3. Surgeries
When even drugs fail, the patient would undergo the following surgical procedures:
Endnote
As discussed above, unstable angina may be a direct explanation for the attack. However, stable and variant angina when left untreated, can eventually transform into unstable angina. Thus, it's better to diagnose the symptoms and address every condition with medically prescribed treatments.
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