Question

Angina: stable, unstable. What are the risks, causes, complications. How is it treated? Signs and symptoms?

Answer 1

Angina is the feeling of pain and discomfort in the chest which could be accompanied by heaviness, tightness or dull ache. It is caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. This narrowing of the coronary arteries reduces the blood flow to the myocardium which is the heart muscles. During the times of high demands such as vigourous exercise session, there is insufficient supply of blood to meet the demand of the heart muscle and one may experience angina. Another usual cause of angina is the build of fatty deposits inside the coronary arteries. These deposits can make the arteries so narrow that the heart muscle doesn't get enough blood which causes pain and discomfort. Typical symptoms of angina consists of a constricting chest pain which may or may nor radiate to the jaw or arms. Angina is categorized into two types - stable and unstable. Angina is described as stable when symptoms of these chest pains are always relieved by rest or by gycerol try nitrate or GTM spray. Stable angina may be brought on by triggers such as exercise, eating a large meal, anxiety or cold weather and usually improves after a few minutes rest or the mentioned medications. Angina is considered as unstable when symptoms come on randomly while at rest and is considered to be a part of an acute coronary syndrome. Unstable angina is more unpredictable and there may not be an obvious trigger for attacks. In fact the medication might not help sometimes.

An angina does not permanently damage the heart muscle and experiencing an angina does not mean that one will havea heart attack but it does increases the risk, specially unstable angina. Nitrates relax blood vessels, allowing more oxygen rich blood to reach heart muscles. Long acting nitrates comes as pills or patches and one can use them everyday to prevent angina attacks. Nitrates can cause side effects like headache or dizziness, but this usually does not last long. Sometimes BETA blockers or Ca Channel blockers are also used to prevent the symptoms. If stable angina is left untreated for a very long time, it can possibly develop into unstable angina and sudden abnormal heart rhythms can be fatal sometimes.