Angina is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort caused by a temporary disruption in the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. People describe angina discomfort as a squeezing, suffocating or burning feeling – usually in the centre of the chest, behind the breastbone.
Symptoms of angina
feel like a dull pain, ache, 'heavy' or 'tight' feeling in your chest. spread to your arms, neck, jaw or back. be triggered by physical exertion.
Angina (also called angina pectoris) is defined as: “a condition marked by severe pain in the chest, often also spreading to the shoulders, arms, and neck, owing to an inadequate blood supply to the heart.” A heart attack occurs when this same process lasts long enough to cause permanent damage to the heart muscle.
Angina can feel like a pressing, squeezing, or crushing pain in the chest under your breastbone. You may have pain in your upper back, both arms, neck, or ear lobes. You may also have shortness of breath, weakness, or fatigue. Managing angina includes treating high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels.
Angina usually feels like pressure, tightness or squeezing in your chest. This can feel painful or like a dull ache. You might also feel it in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach.
Anything that causes your heart muscle to need more blood or oxygen supply can result in angina. Risk factors include physical activity, emotional stress, extreme cold and heat, heavy meals, drinking excessive alcohol, and cigarette smoking.
Angina is most common in adults age 60 and older. Family history of heart disease.
You want to call 911 if you are having sudden, crushing chest pain or if your chest pain radiates into the jaw or the left arm. You want to call 911 if your chest pain also causes shortness of breath, or dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.
Aerobic exercises will provide the most benefits because they make your heart beat faster and you breathe more quickly. You could try walking, cycling or a living room workout at a level that suits you. Look for exercise that you enjoy and that's easy to fit into your life.
Angina is a frightening condition, one that can cause damage to the heart muscle, pain, anxiety, and a variety of other alarming symptoms. Stable angina is predictable, you likely know when it will occur, and it will usually go away on its own.
Stable angina keeps a reliable pattern. That is, the symptoms only happen under certain, often predictable, circumstances and usually last less than 10 minutes—but always less than 20 minutes—before they go away. Often, exercise, emotional stress, or large meals trigger this kind of angina.
You may have tests to check if you have angina and assess your risk of more serious problems like heart attacks or stroke. You may have: an electrocardiogram (ECG) – a test to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity.
Angina pectoris tends to be accompanied by thrombosis [18]. Therefore, drinking an adequate amount of water may help reduce blood coagulation and result in a lower OR for angina pectoris.
Antiplatelet medicines help prevent blood clots from forming. If you have stable or unstable angina, your doctor may recommend aspirin to treat angina and reduce the risk of complications of heart disease. Other platelet inhibitors, such as clopidogrel, may also be prescribed.
Doctors have long known that mental or psychological stress can lead to angina (chest pain or discomfort caused by inadequate blood to the heart). Now, new research reveals a direct correlation between angina and stress-related activity in the brain's frontal lobe.
Angina is chest pain that comes and goes. There are several types of angina. Stable angina (angina pectoris) is the most common type, and it's caused by coronary artery disease. Rest and medication can ease your angina and improve your quality of life.
The pain: usually occurs while at rest and in the early morning or late at night.
It can be challenging to distinguish between angina and an anxiety attack, especially because emotional distress can also increase the amount of oxygen the heart requires and trigger angina.
Anginal pain is usually located substernally or across the anterior chest. Pain located exclusively in either the left or right chest is atypical. While radiation of the pain to the left arm is typical of angina, patients with coronary artery disease also frequently have pain that radiates to the right arm or neck.
Unfortunately, you can't cure angina with exercise, but research has shown that appropriate exercise can help reduce its symptoms. Exercise increases blood flow to the heart and builds up the amount of oxygen that your body can absorb. This can reduce the risk of heart attacks and the onset of heart disease.
Exercise and sport
It's also important to stay active if you have angina. You might worry that exercising could trigger your symptoms or cause a heart attack, but the risk is low if you: build up your activity level gradually and take regular breaks. keep your GTN spray or tablets with you.
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.