Angina Welcome to the Affordable Drugs angina information page. Here you can learn about angina, the symptoms of angina, the causes of angina, angina treatments and more. You can also find the best available angina medication prices. The information contained on this page is not intended to replace the professional advice of your physician.
What is Angina? You have probably heard of angina, but you may not be exactly certain as to what it is. Angina is a pain or discomfort that is centralized in the heart. Most people aged 50 years or older, as well as those with heart disease are more likely to be diagnosed with angina. In the majority of cases, men are more afflicted than women, and this could be related to the fact that males are more physically active in overexerting themselves than women. The myocardium is a specialized muscle that makes up most of the heart. The heart pumps blood all through the body, using the arteries by the heart to transport nutrients and oxygen to it. The oxygen needed by the heart is equal to the amount of oxygen needed by the blood vessels that surround the heart.
Angina is the result of the narrowing of the vessels around the heart. Because the vessels are narrower, there is less oxygen supplied to heart. While the supply of blood may indeed be efficient, it may not be enough for the heart to pump out while it accelerates, such as when you walk up an incline. As the heart rate rises so does the need for more oxygen. But, because the vessels are narrower now, blood cannot pass through to deliver the oxygen. Because of this complication, angina occurs as a warning sign. The pain should indicate that something is wrong.
How do the vessels around the heart shrink, you may ask? Fat deposits can form in the arterial lining, which causes atheroma - the cause of angina. Atheroma and the fat deposits that are associated with it collect over a long period of time. Once enough is collected, the vessels begin to narrow.
The most common symptoms of angina are pain or pressure across the chest, whenever you overexert yourself. The pain can also extend to the arms, the neck, and jaw areas - less common pain can also occur in the abdomen. The pain does not linger for a long period of time, and usually subsides in less than ten minutes. Diagnosis of angina can be a complicated process, as it can also be aggravated by acid reflux disease or by pulling a muscle in the area of the heart. In order to alleviate pain more rapidly, the best thing to do is settle down for a few minutes and wait for the discomfort to go away.
There are several tests that doctors use to test a patient for angina. Blood tests can be used, as well as ECGs or EKGs. Those who suffer from diabetes, those who have hypertension, smokers, those with high cholesterol, or those who have close relatives with angina are more likely to be diagnosed with angina.
In closing, if you would like to prevent angina or instances of it, it can be done. Here are some guidelines to follow:
* Stop Smoking
* Take Steps To Lower Your High Blood Pressure
* Take Steps To Decrease Cholesterol Levels
* Keep Your Diabetes in Check
* Lose Weight If Necessary Search for Angina Drug Prices
Symptoms of Angina The symptoms of angina are the result of a lack of proper blood circulation to the heart. Anyone suffering from angina symptoms should immediately contact a doctor as this could be the first signs of a heart attack. Pain resulting from angina can usually be dealt with by a physician. Symptoms of angina include pain and, more commonly, discomfort as a result of reduced oxygen to the heart. This discomfort takes the form of tightness, burning, or heaviness in the chest area. When a patient is suffering from angina, they will often have difficulty breathing. These symptoms themselves generally do not leave any permanent damage but can herald the onset of other, more serious heart problems.
These symptoms are sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. These are not explicitly a result of lack of blood flow to the heart, but rather the nervous system over reacting as a result of the feedback from the illnesses. These symptoms will very rarely mask the main symptoms of angina (shortness of breathe, chest discomfort, etc.) but those at risk for angina should be careful not to dismiss potential cardiovascular problems as simple cases of upset stomach or food poisoning.
Angina sufferers will also occasionally have what is known as "referred pain." This is when the spinal cord is receiving pain signals from nerves that connect to other parts of the body but is unable to tell exactly where it originates. Pain from angina can also manifest in the lower back, abdomen, neck, and jaw. This will be in addition to the standard symptoms of angina.
These symptoms of angina can often be signs of a heart attack. Individuals who have a "crescendo" style attack of angina are most at risk for further complications. This is where the symptoms continuously get worse over time. Smokers, diabetics, over weight individuals, and those with a history of heart problems are most at risk for angina. Those experiencing angina symptoms should see a doctor immediately, as angina has been connected with spontaneous cardiac arrest.
Most symptoms of angina can be alleviated with proper medical care. Consult with a physician for a treatment plan that is best for individual patient's needs. Search for Angina Drug Prices
Types of Angina Nearly 7 million Americans suffer from angina and about 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Angina is chest pain that occurs when the heart doesn't get enough oxygenated blood. There are four types of angina: stable, unstable, variant, and microvascular. Angina Overview
Angina pectoris is not itself a disease, but it's symptomatic of an underlying problem, most often coronary artery disease. Plaque builds up along the inner walls of coronary arteries, which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. This accumulation of plaque narrows the arteries, reducing that blood flow and causing pain. Doctors may use a patient's symptoms to diagnose angina, though further tests could be necessary. Common tests to confirm diagnosis include an at-rest electrocardiogram, stress test, or angiogram. The specific type of angina may indicate how severe the underlying coronary disease is and the likelihood of a heart attack.
Symptoms
Angina causes symptoms like pain and discomfort, usually starting in the chest. The feeling is often described as pressure, burning, squeezing, or tightness. Pain can even be felt in the shoulders, back, neck, or jaw. Sometimes it causes pain, tingling, weakness, or numbness specifically felt in the left arm. Women often feel it in their shoulders, back, or abdomen. It can even feel like indigestion.
Stable Angina
Stable angina is the most prevalent type. It occurs when the heart muscle works harder than normal, like when people are more active than usual. It can also occur under great stress. Stable angina has a reliable pattern, so patients very quickly recognize when it occurs. Pain usually subsides after a few minutes, especially if the person rests or takes angina medication. It's not a heart attack, though if one has stable angina, a heart attack in the future is more likely.
Unstable Angina
Unstable angina has no discernible pattern. It can occur with exertion or without and it doesn't subside with rest or medication. Pain may be severe and it lasts longer than stable angina, as long as 30 minutes. Stable angina may suddenly turn into unstable angina. This is a very serious condition that requires emergency medical treatment. Oftentimes it's indicative of an imminent heart attack. Sometimes the term unstable angina is applied to patients when their symptoms indicate a heart attack, but there's no evidence of heart damage on any diagnostic tests.
Variant Angina
Variant angina, also known as Prinzmetal's angina, is quite rare. It occurs when the person is at rest, usually between midnight and the early morning, and often with severe pain. Variant angina occurs due to a vasospasm - a spasm that causes the narrowing of the coronary artery and reduces the heart's blood flow. It does respond to medication.
Microvascular Angina
Microvascular angina is the newest type. Patients feel pain in their chests, but doctors find no obvious sign of coronary artery blockage. Research has determined that the pain is caused by poor functioning of the blood vessels that supply the heart. The same medications that treat other types of angina are also effective on microvascular angina.
Stable Angina Angina is a common heart condition caused by lack of oxygen reaching the heart. Symptoms include tightness or pain in the chest, difficulty breathing, nausea, and transient pain across the body. There are two different types of angina: stable and unstable. Stable angina is a chronic disease which can easily be treated with medication. Stable Angina Symptoms and Causes
Stable angina generally begins after some type of strenuous activity such as running, lifting heavy weights, or climbing stairs. It can also be caused by heightened emotional states such as anger or panic. Nearly every case of angina will feature some type of chest discomfort. The pain in the chest is usually described as a "tightness" or "squeezing" but some cases of extremely bad angina will cause very palpable pain.
Other symptoms are a result of internal pain rather than the lack of oxygen to the heart. Many times a patient suffering from stable angina will feel pain in their arms, back, neck, head, or sides. This is a result of pain-receiving nerves being unable to properly assign pain signals emanating from the heart to the correct location.
Those most at risk for stable angina are overweight individuals, diabetics, smokers, patients suffering from high blood pressure and persons with an inactive lifestyle. A family history of heart disease may also be a warning sign for angina.
Stable angina is, by itself, a harmless condition. However, the symptoms are often the same as the early stages of a heart attack. If this is the first time a patient has experienced angina-like symptoms, they should immediately go to an emergency room or the nearest available doctor. If and when the symptoms are characterized as stable angina, sufferer's of this ailment can begin treatment.
Stable Angina Treatments
Stable angina can be successfully treated with medication in the majority of patients. Daily nitroglycerin pills are often used and greatly alleviate the chest pain. Other treatment options include beta-blockers which can help to lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of oxygen used by the heart and ACE inhibitors which will help lower blood pressure.
In some instances, surgery is required for stable angina. This is to help prevent stable angina from becoming unstable angina, which is a precursor to heart attacks. Angioplasty can be preformed to help open up arteries and increase oxygen and blood flow to the heart.
Although not a life threatening condition, stable angina is a palpable sign that there are problems with your body that need a doctor's attention. Anyone suffering from chest pain should immediately seek medical attention. If you have already been diagnosed with stable angina and find that the symptoms have become increasingly worse or attacks more frequent, contact a doctor immediately as it might be the prelude to a heart attack.
Unstable Angina Angina is what happens when the heart is not receiving enough blood flow, resulting in chest discomfort and even chest pains. There are predictable patterns to stable angina that unstable angina does not adhere to. This is a very serious medical condition as it is a form of ACS, or Acute Coronary Syndrome. There are basically two reasons why unstable angina exists.
Number one is quite predictable considering the name "unstable angina". Symptoms of the disease occur in a randomly unpredictable pattern. It has been shown that angina can occur from many different forms of stress, but unstable angina can come on without any warning or reason. Unstable angina can also last for a long time and can even effect someone in their sleep.
The second reason why it's called unstable angina is because it is generally evolved from the rupture of a plaque in a coronary artery. The blockage to the arteries is caused by that rupture and the blood clots that go along with it. That is why unstable angina is considered to be an imminent risk of myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction is when tissues die due to a shortage of proper blood flow. This is why anyone experiencing any symptoms should see a professional as soon as possible.
People who already have a history of coronary related problems should be especially wary of these symptoms and get to an emergency room right away, especially if you experience any chest pains at random times. That doesn't mean if you don't have a history of heart related issues you have nothing to worry about. Unstable angina can happen to anyone, so be sure to be aware of anything strange going on and get to a hospital or doctor right away.
Besides the obvious chest pain, what other symptoms should you look for in unstable angina? If the chest pain you are having also makes your left arm or your jaw hurt, this could be a sign of unstable angina. Many times the symptoms are very mild, which means it would be tougher to know if it was angina to begin with. Things such as nausea and heartburn as well as mild pain in your back or abdomen could be signs of unstable angina that are not paid attention to very often.
What you should do is if you find yourself experiencing any of these symptoms get yourself to your doctor as soon as possible. The emergency room is a good idea if the symptoms are telling you not to wait until your doctor can see you. Unstable angina is a very serious condition and should be treated as such. Don't let your loved ones procrastinate about seeing a professional because any delay may cost them their life if the unstable angina prevails.
Prinzmetal Angina Millions of Americans suffer from angina, which is pain or discomfort in the chest normally occurring when an adequate amount of blood doesn't reach the heart. There are several types of angina and the most rare form is called Prinzmetal angina. It is also known as variant angina. Perhaps 4 out of every 100,000 people in this country suffer from this type of angina.
Causes of Prinzmetal Angina
The pain, pressure, and tightness brought on by Prinzmetal angina is caused by spasms in the coronary arteries. The spasms happen when the muscles in the arteries of the heart constrict, narrowing the span of the arteries. When the size of the arteries decreases, the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart is limited, causing the pain and pressure.
The cause of the spasms themselves is a little harder to pinpoint. The problem could start with issues in the endothelium, which is the lining of blood vessels. A healthy artery produces nitric oxide, which allows the artery to expand and thus provide adequate blood flow. If this artery lining is impaired, as with plaque build up known as atherosclerosis, it is easier for the blood vessels to narrow and bring on a spasm. Some researchers feel that the cause of the spasms goes beyond this theory about the lack of nitric oxide since not everyone whose arteries don't release enough nitric oxide suffers from coronary artery spasms.
Other theories about the cause of these spasms include: nervous system issues involving the brain and spinal chord; injuries to the artery linings that can make the muscles in the artery susceptible to chemicals that cause the vessel to narrow; and troubles with that muscle tissue that inhibits their ability to widen or narrow.
The coronary artery spasms can come on without cause, but may be triggered by outside influences like withdrawal from alcohol, exposure to cold, and emotional stress. There are even chemicals that can cause narrowing of the blood vessels.
Symptoms of Prinzmetal Angina
The symptoms go beyond the pain, tightness, pressure, or constricting feeling in the chest. The pain can extend to the neck and jaw as well as the shoulder or arm.
This type of angina almost always occurs when the person is lying down and even asleep. Every attack of Prinzmetal angina can occur at the same time, and this is usually sometime between midnight and 8:00 AM. The attacks can last anywhere from 5 minutes to one-half hour. Fainting has been known to occur.
Treatment
Patients with Prinzmetal angina versus other types of angina are at a greater risk for heart attack, irregular heartbeats, and even a sudden death. Once diagnosed, a doctor will probably prescribe nitroglycerin tablets. If taken during an angina attack, nitroglycerin can relieve the symptoms. Medications that are calcium channel blockers, normally used for the treatment of high blood pressure, may be prescribed for the long term.
People who do have a heart attack brought on by variant angina will usually recover. Certain patients may suffer from angina only temporarily, as in some cases the symptoms slowly go away on their own.
Angina Causes Angina is discomfort or pain in the chest that usually occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood oxygen. This decrease of the blood supply happens when the coronary arteries are narrowed from plaque build up. Symptoms of angina are pressure, heaviness, tightening, or a squeezing sensation in the chest. There are three types of angina:
1. Stable angina is triggered by exertion or emotional stress. These two things make the heart require more oxygen.
2. Unstable angina is normally caused by blood clots blocking an artery, triggered by the break down of plaque in the arteries.
3. Variant angina is a spasm in the coronary artery caused by things like exposure to cold, emotional stress, certain medicines, smoking, and use of drugs like cocaine.
The highest percentage of people with angina have a blockage in one or more of the three major coronary arteries. There are two main causes of angina.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
CAD is the most common of the angina causes. It is the drastic narrowing of at least one of the arteries that carry blood to the heart. Coronary artery disease affects almost everyone as they grow older. Plaque builds up, creating large masses in the walls of the arteries. This is atherosclerosis, but is more commonly known as hardening of the arteries, because the atheromoas, or fatty deposits, in the arteries harden.
Even while atherosclerosis allows enough blood to the heart for normal activities like walking, during periods of stress or strenuous physical activity the flow of blood to the heart is not sufficient. The lack of blood sets off an attack of angina.
As for the causes of coronary artery disease itself, doctors have only identified some risk factors like aging, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, family history, and lack of exercise.
Coronary Artery Spasm
A coronary artery spasm is one of the causes of angina that is not as common. In this case, the angina is brought on by a sudden contraction of the muscles inside the coronary arteries. This spasm is called variant angina pectoris. This spasm does not happen when the heart is overworked, but when a person is resting or even asleep, and usually between midnight and 8:00 in the morning.
The cause of angina in these cases is also connected to coronary artery disease in that most people who suffer from this type of angina do have atherosclerosis. The spasm that causes the angina attack usually happens near that blockage.
This type of angina may be more serious because it puts people at risk for cardiac arrhythmias, which are disturbances in the rhythm of the heart, heart attacks, and sudden death.
Angina Attack Angina is a feeling of pain or discomfort in the chest area that happens when the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood. The pain can spread to the shoulders, arms, neck or back. An angina attack is a symptom of an underlying coronary artery disease. Coronary Artery Disease can occur when fatty material accumulates on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. This build-up of fatty material reduces the amount of oxygen-rich blood that is able to reach the heart. This can lead to a heart attack. There are three different types of angina.
A stable angina is the most common type. It occurs mainly during periods of physical exertion, times of stress or after a heavy meal, when the heart is forced to work harder than usual.
An unstable angina is more deceptive in that it does not require physical effort or stress to occur. It is caused by a blood clot in the artery and is a dangerous condition which requires emergency treatment as quickly as possible.
Variant Angina usually occurs some time during the night while the body is at rest. It can happen during exposure to severe cold, periods of emotional distress or as a result of smoking or cocaine use. This type of angina can be helped with the correct medication.
Approximately 7 million people in the United States are at risk from an angina attack. It can occur equally in men and women. Smoking, cholesterol, high blood pressure and too much fatty foods can damage the inner layers of the coronary arteries. When this happens, plaque builds up within the arteries. While hard plaque reduced blood flow, soft plaque can cause clots that block the arteries entirely.
The risk of an angina attack can be greatly reduced by actively treating correlated conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, obesity or diabetes.
When angina occurs, it can be treated with changes in lifestyle. These changes should include eating healthy foods, quitting smoking, exercising, losing excess weight and improved stress management. Proper medication and cardiac rehabilitation can also help.
Anyone who has angina is at a higher risk for a heart attack than someone who doesn't have angina. So it's very important to know the location of the nearest emergency room and to call 9-1-1 immediately.
Angina Treatments Angina treatments are designed to both prevent and to relieve the wide range of angina symptoms. Two Main Types of Angina
There are two main types of angina - stable angina and unstable angina. They require different medical handling. Stable angina treatments may be as simple as a few minutes of rest, with or without medication, following the exertion causing it. Treatments of angina of the unstable variety that can occur at rest and is often of longer duration require pharmacological treatments plus medical testing and interventions on an immediate basis.
Prevention of Angina
Prevention of angina should be thought of as a treatment because preventing it in the first place is better than having to eliminate distressing and debilitating angina symptoms later. In that sense, angina treatments through prevention are applicable to both main types of angina, the stable and unstable types.
Control of exertion - exercise of one's muscles - is one means of preventing occurrence of angina. Sometimes, however, one's muscles must be used, both for work and for play. Resting must then be supplemented with appropriate medication.
Medications Used for Prevention and Relief of Angina
There are a number of medications used as preventative angina treatments. All assist in maintaining adequate blood flow to heart muscle or improving it if inadequate. Without sufficient blood flow, oxygen deprivation results and angina symptoms follow. Different medications work in different ways to stabilize or improve cardiac blood flow.
One of the pharmacological treatments of angina in a preventative sense is by reduction of heart workload and thus its oxygen demand. This can be accomplished by administration of drugs that reduce overall blood pressure. There are a number of such medications, and they have different modes of functioning. Some, known as beta-blockers, work by slowing heart rate and reducing the heart's pumping force. Others such as calcium antagonists (that is, calcium channel blockers), lower blood pressure and reduce heart muscle pumping force similar to beta-blockers. They also reduce spasm of coronary arteries allowing them to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to heart muscle. Both types of drugs lower overall blood pressure.
Some of the beta-blockers are acebutolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, timolol, and propranolol.
Some of the calcium antagonists are amlodipine, diltiazem, felodipine, nifedipine, and verapimil.
Some medications, known as vasodilators, act directly on the blood vessels of the heart to dilate them; that is, to open them up wider, helping increase blood flow and thus oxygenation. Various nitrates are used for this, possibly the most widely used of these being nitroglycerine. Nitrates act to relax veins throughout the body and to relax heart arteries slightly. With blood flow to the heart reduced, the heart works less hard, and with blood flow within the heart increased, there is more oxygen and other nutrients with which heart muscle can work.
Nitroglycerin tablets and nitroglycerin spray are short-acting and may be repeated several times in five minute intervals. There are longer acting tablets ("Isordil"), transdermal patches ("Nitro-Dur"), and ointments ("Nitrol") that are among the nitroglycerin medications used in treatments of angina.
There are some new drugs used in the treatments of angina. One of the medications more recently approved is ranolazine (Ranexa), approved by the FDA in 2006. Ranolizine may cause disturbance of heart rhythm and is not likely to be used unless other treatments of angina prove themselves to be ineffective.
Direct Intervention Can Remove Causes of Angina
Because angina symptoms are due to reduced blood flow in the heart, physical widening of cardiac arteries, thus increasing flow, eliminates angina. This is accomplished using a treatment method known as angioplasty. Here, a thin tube is passed into a partially or completely blocked coronary artery and, when positioned, a balloon at the end of the tube is inflated. This pushes the blockage open. Frequently a mesh device, called a stent, is placed at that point in order to keep the artery open so that blood flow stays normalized.
Surgery is used to bypass cardiac artery blockages using blood vessels removed from other areas of the body as bypass grafts. This restores blood flow within the coronary artery system.
Angioplasty and cardiac artery bypass grafting are two frequently applied methods used in treatments of angina.
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