INTRODUCTION:
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains the leading global cause of death, and Angina comes under the umbrella of ischemic heart disease. Angina is cardiac discomfort that occurs when the heart isn’t able to get enough oxygen, and later on it will feel like chest pain, discomfort, squeezing, and some sort of pressure in the chest. It’s sometimes called angina pectoris or ischemic chest pain. These are the symptoms of heart disease, which illustrate that there is something wrong with the arteries of the heart or that they are narrowed down, due to which no oxygen is supplied to the heart. This chest pain (angina) goes away with the passage of time, but it is still a sign of a life-threatening cardiac issue. It is important to see the doctor in order to know what the problem is with the arteries of the heart. Angina is a symptom rather than a disease, and if you are facing any kind of discomfort, just hit the hospital on a priority basis.
Angina patients are much more likely to experience potentially fatal cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and heart failure.
Types OF ANGINA:
Stable Angina:
This is the most common type of angina, in which physical activity or any physical stress can be a trigger and induce chest discomfort. It remains for a few minutes and goes away when the patient calms down. This is not a heart attack, but it is alarming that you are at risk of one.
Unstable Angina:
This is strong and prolongs pain as compared to stable angina because patients feel discomfort and pain even while resting or being inactive. This is more dangerous than stable angina. In this episode of discomfort, it is recommended to see the doctor as soon as possible to get to know the cause of the pain.
SYMPTOMS:
The symptoms of chest pain vary from person to person. You could have:
- Burning Pain
- Discomfort
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- a feeling of heaviness in the chest
- a sensation of weight or pressure
- vomiting or a stomachache
- respiration difficulty
- Squeezing
CAUSES:
Angina happens when there is a complication with the heart, or the heart won’t be able to get enough oxygen in order to perform well. Plague blocks the artery, which causes a low oxygen supply to the cardiac tissue. Plague is a fatty substance that builds up in the artery and narrows it. This makes your heart work harder due to the blockage. This hard pumping results in chest pain, or you may also have a blood clot in the artery, which causes the heart attack.
- A pulmonary embolism is a blockage of a major pulmonary artery.
- Heart disease characterized by hypertrophy or thickening
- Aortic stenosis, a narrowing of a valve in the center of your heart
- Pericarditis, a swelling of the sac surrounding your heart
- Aortic dissection is a tear in the aortic wall, the biggest artery in the body.
Lifestyle changes:
Manage weight: Weight can cause many blunders in the journey of a healthy life. Maintaining weight should be the foremost reason for preventing angina.
Regular exercise: While doing exercise, our body gets a high amount of oxygen, which nourishes every organ to work better.
Stress management: Learn stress management techniques in order to lower your stress.
No junk food: Food plays a vital role in angina. Having low-fat foods, green leafy vegetables, and fruits will help you be healthier.
Walk in nature:Try to connect with nature and walk, which lowers your blood pressure and helps you reduce extra fat.
RISK FACTORS:
Some things about you or your lifestyle could put you at higher risk of angina, including:
Older age:
The passage of time or being older shows that our organ’s efficiency also slows down. This will impact the functioning of the heart.- Family history of heart disease:
Genetics plays a huge role in it. If your gene has the code for heart disease, you are most likely to have it. - High blood pressure:
High blood pressure affects the arteries, which is the main reason for the chest pain or discomfort. - High cholesterol:
When cholestrol builds up at the walls of the artery and causes plaque, which narrows the artery, low oxygen reaches the heart. This is the reason why people with cholestrol are at risk of angina. - Diabetes:Diabetes negatively impacts the function of whole body parts.
- Not getting enough exercise: a sedentary life and a high amount of junk food impact the quality of life.
Diagnosis:
If you experience chest pain when moving or even at rest, your doctor may order certain tests to diagnose angina.
- EKG. This examination evaluates the electrical activity and rhythm of your heart.
- Test for stress. This measures the rate at which your heart beats when you exercise.
- Blood test. Your doctor will examine you for troponin-containing proteins. When your heart muscle is damaged, like in a heart attack, several of them are released. A metabolic panel, or complete blood count (CBC) may also be performed by your doctor.
- X-Rays. Chest X-rays help eliminate other potential causes of your chest pain, such as lung diseases. Images of your heart can be produced by echocardiograms, CT scans, and MRIs to aid your doctor in identifying issues.
TREATMENT:
It depends on the situation of the patient and what kind of treatment is best for him.
Some complications can be reduced with the medication, or others must undergo surgery.
- Angioplasty/stenting
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), or bypass surgery
- Enhanced external counterpulsation
CONCLUSION:
Angina is life-threatening if not treated on time. This increases the risk of heart disease as a whole, which impacts a person’s lifestyle. Angina involves chest discomfort, pain, and pressure on the chest. This might go away in a few minutes, but this is alarming because this discomfort shows that there is something wrong with the arteries of the heart or that the heart is not capable of working properly and supplying a good amount of blood to the whole body due to blockage in the artery. It is not necessarily dangerous, but it can be a sign of heart disease.
