Angina Pectoris

What is angina pectoris?

Angina, or angina pectoris, is the medical term used to describe the temporary chest discomfort that occurs when the heart is not getting enough blood.

What symptoms should I look out for?

  • An uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest
  • It may also feel like tightness, burning, or a heavy weight
  • The pain may spread to the shoulders, neck, or arms
  •  It may be located in the upper abdomen, back, or jaw
  • The pain may be of any intensity from mild to severe

When should I seek medical help?

If you have never experienced these symptoms before:

  • Do not delay calling 911. Do not wait for a call back from the doctor. Do not "wait it out." To wait is to risk your life.
  • Emergency personnel are trained to recognize angina and to treat it rapidly and safely.

If you have had angina before and the symptoms are the same they may not need medical help:

  • If a healthcare provider has already evaluated and provided advice about how to react to these symptoms, follow that advice – usually doing so involves rest, removing the stressor, and taking sublingual nitroglycerin

What are the tests that I must undergo to check for this illness?

  • An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a painless way to check for abnormalities in the beating of the heart. During this process, electrodes are attached to the chest and other points on the body. The electrodes read the electrical impulses linked to the beating of the heart. The ECG looks for signs of a heart attack or of impaired blood flow to the heart.
  • Other tests available for angina patients include exercise stress tests, thallium stress tests, echocardiogram stress tests, and coronary angiograms.

What treatment is used?

  • The treatment for angina depends on the severity of the symptoms and the results of tests that are done to find the underlying cause, and can include simple rest under observation, and/or administration of aspirin, oxygen, and other medication to further other complications.
  • If basic care is insufficient for relieving the patient or the angina diagnosis is severe, angioplasty may be used to treat the patient.

 

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Sources:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/angina_pectoris/article_em.htm

 

Last Updated: December 2, 2008 9:30 PM