Angina (Chest Pain)

Chest pain could be a sign of a serious condition like angina, which could indicate a more serious health issue and must be managed immediately.

Angina

Angina is a chest pain or discomfort that occurs when there is a decrease in the blood flow to the heart. Angina is a common condition and could lead to serious complications, but it’s generally treatable.

Types of angina:

• Stable angina: It’s the most common type and is stimulated mostly by physical activity. It usually comes and goes in episodes with the same pain level in a predicted way, and each episode lasts five minutes or less. It can be managed by rest and medicines.
• Unstable angina: This is an unpredictable medical emergency that comes without warning or a specific trigger and causes severe pain that might last 15 minutes or more. It can’t be managed with rest and medicines only.
• Prinzmetal, or variant, angina: It occurs due to a spasm in the arteries of the heart, which temporarily decreases the blood flow. It manifests during sleeping or resting and typically lasts 5-15 minutes. Angina medicines could relieve the pain.

Causes and risk factors leading to angina

The principal cause of angina is the reduced blood flow to the heart, and the most common cause of that is coronary artery disease (CAD), which occurs due to the buildup of plaques (deposits of fats) in the vessels.

Factors that increase the risk of angina include:

• Family history of heart disease.
• Males older than 45 and females older than 55.
• Obesity and not exercising enough.
• Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol.
• Smoking.
• Other health conditions like chronic kidney disease, peripheral artery disease, history of stroke, metabolic syndrome, and severe anemia.
• Excessive stress.
• Drug abuse.
• Certain medicines, such as some migraine drugs, could trigger Prinzmetal angina.
• Cold weather, which might induce Prinzmetal angina.

Symptoms of angina

In general, angina causes chest pain, discomfort, and pressure. The pain could also be:

• Squeezing.
• Burning.
• Heaviness.
• Tightness.
• Crushing.
• Pain in the arms, shoulder, back, neck, or jaw.
• Angina might also cause dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, paleness, nausea, and weakness.
• Angina might cause different symptoms in females like stabbing pain instead of chest pressure, a feeling of discomfort in the neck, jaw, or back, shortness of breath, stomach ache, and nausea.
• Angina could lead to a heart attack; therefore, it must be managed immediately.

Diagnosis of angina

• Imaging tests.
• Blood tests.

Treatment of angina

• Following a healthier lifestyle.
• Medicines.
• Certain procedures, such as angioplasty and stenting and coronary artery bypass.

Prevention of angina

• Eat healthy food and exercise regularly.
• Avoid smoking.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Manage stress and other health conditions, if any.