In the majority of patients with obstructive coronary artery disease, the intensity of the anginal pain is proportional to the the intensity of physical activity, and the pain only subsides once physical activity ceases. However a subset of patients have walk through angina.
If you suffer from angina, you may be concerned that exercise will make your symptoms worse. The truth is, exercise is perfectly safe if it's done in the right way, and many patients find that exercise helps them feel better.
The chest pain that occurs with angina can make doing some activities, such as walking, uncomfortable. However, the most dangerous complication is a heart attack.
Angina usually becomes worse with exertion and is relieved by rest. If the patient notes that less exertion is required to cause the pain when going out in cold weather or after eating a large meal, then the pain is likely to be caused by coronary artery disease.
If it's angina, your symptoms usually ease or go away after a few minutes' rest, or after taking the medicines your doctor or nurse has prescribed for you, such as glyceryl trinitrate medicine (GTN). If you're having a heart attack, your symptoms are less likely to ease or go away after resting or taking medicines.
Stable angina
Usually lasts 5 minutes; rarely more than 15 minutes. Triggered by physical activity, emotional stress, heavy meals, extreme cold or hot weather. Relieved within 5 minutes by rest, nitroglycerin or both. Pain in the chest that may spread to the jaw, neck, arms, back or other areas.
If you have unstable angina, symptoms can develop rapidly and can persist even when you are at rest. They may continue for some time. Symptoms of unstable angina might also not respond to treatment with glycerine trinitrate (GTN).
Angina can be confused with gallbladder disease, stomach ulcers and acid reflux. It usually goes away within a few minutes with rest or with the use of nitroglycerin. Angina is not the same as a heart attack although the symptoms may be similar.
Symptoms of unstable angina include: Tight or crushing pain in your chest that may spread to other areas in your upper body. Chest pain that happens even when you're not exerting yourself.
Chest pain could be angina if it: feels tight, dull or heavy – although some people (especially women) may have sharp, stabbing pain. spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back. is triggered by physical exertion or stress.
These are the most common symptoms of angina: A pressing, squeezing, or crushing pain, usually in the chest under your breastbone. Pain may also occur in your upper back, both arms, neck, or ear lobes. Pain radiating in your arms, shoulders, jaw, neck, or back.
It can be difficult to distinguish heart-related chest pain from other types of chest pain. However, chest pain that is less likely due to a heart problem is more often associated with: A sour taste or a sensation of food reentering your mouth. Trouble swallowing.
Exercise, heavy lifting or even hard coughing can inflame the muscles and tendons around the chest, causing pain. Chest pain due to muscle strain usually gets worse with movement (including movement from breathing).
It can happen even when you're resting. Unstable angina feels more severe and lasts longer. Your symptoms might not improve when you rest or take medication. If your symptoms don't improve when you rest of take medication, you should call 999 immediately.
This is called unstable angina. The pain of angina usually isn't sharp. Instead, it is more a sense of pressure or squeezing. Sometimes it is just an uncomfortable sensation, not really a pain.
What should you do if you think you're having angina for the first time? Stop and rest until the angina discomfort has passed. Make an appointment to see your GP straight away. If the pain doesn't ease, call 999 immediately, because it's possible you could be having a heart attack.
Call 911 if a person who has been diagnosed with and is being treated for angina begins to experience a crushing sensation; stabbing pain; numbness in the chest; or discomfort in the neck, jaw, arms or back.
Coronary artery disease (CAD): This is the most common cause of angina. It happens when plaque (a fatty, waxy substance) builds up in your coronary arteries, which supply blood to your heart. These arteries narrow or harden (atherosclerosis), reducing blood flow to your heart.
Angina tends to radiate, causing referred pain all around the shoulder and neck. Anxiety chest pains/hyperventilation tend to be more localized near the heart. Anxiety chest pains are usually sharper, although not always.
The main symptom of angina is chest pain. Chest pain caused by angina usually: feels tight, dull or heavy – it may spread to your arms, neck, jaw or back. is triggered by physical exertion or stress.
In order to diagnose the cause of angina, the following tests may be performed: Electrocardiogram (ECG): This test records the electrical activity of the heart, which is used to diagnose heart abnormalities such as arrhythmias or to show ischemia (lack of oxygen and blood) to the heart.
It should be emphasized that a normal resting ECG is not uncommon even in patients with severe angina and does not exclude the diagnosis of ischemia.
Classic coronary pain--or angina--involves a substernal pressure that commonly begins with exertion and is relieved by rest. However, some patients experience angina in the absence of physical exertion or emotional stress, and not all chest pain that begins after exertion is angina.
Angina usually happens when your heart has an extra need for oxygen-rich blood, such as during exercise. Other causes of angina can be emotional stress, extreme cold or hot temperatures, heavy meals, alcohol, and smoking.
When you lie down, the redistribution of blood in the body causes the symptoms to get worse, and this is usually experienced as shortness of breath. Your husband must therefore establish if the pain is due to angina or some other problem, as this will determine which treatment is likely to work for him.