Angina

Angina is a type of chest pain or discomfort caused by the reduced blood supply to the heart. The pain may feel like indigestion and can travel to shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, and back. This pain is an indicator of serious heart disease and may lead to heart attack if ignored.

Risk factors

Age above 50 years

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity
• High fat and salt consumption
• A family history of heart disease
• Lack of physical activity

Types of angina

There are two main types of angina.

• Stable angina- this is a medical term for chest pain which follows a regular pattern of chest pain and often occurs during physical activity and emotional stress. This type of chest pain is relieved by rest mostly.
• Unstable angina- unstable angina is an unexpected kind of chest pain and does not follow any pattern and can continue even at rest and after taking medicine for angina. It’s a sign that a heart attack might come soon.

Symptoms

• Severe chest pain is the main symptom of angina
• Breathlessness
• Feeling heaviness on the chest
• Weakness
• Indigestion
• Sweating
• Nausea

What should you do if you think you or someone has angina

• Call for help
• Open any tight fitting clothes , ties etc.
• Lie down and try not to move
• Provide oxygen support if available
• Consult a doctor

What will your doctor do:

• If your doctor suspects that you are having angina your doctor will ask you to undergo certain tests like ecg , echocardiography.
• He may also require certain blood tests checking your cholesterol levels and certain other blood tests.

Treatment

• Medication it will include various medicines which prevent your blood from clotting , lower you cholesterol level and reduce inflammation.
• Living a healthy lifestyle. It is important that you make changes to your lifestyle as per the guidance of your doctor , dietician and your fitness expert.
• Surgery it is possible that your doctor would recommend you to go for surgery. You should not be alarmed as most of the surgical treatments are highly advanced and successful.

Prevention

• Maintain ideal weight you should consult your dietician regarding the changes which are necessary to be made regarding your diet.
• Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for developing angina. You should try quitting smoking.
• Regular physical exercise under the guidance of fitness expert.
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
• Eat healthy food.
• Monitor blood pressure and diabetes regularly if you have these conditions.

Red flags

• Severe chest pain moving from your chest to neck, face or abdomen
• Excessive breathlessness
• Sharply decreased exercise tolerance
• Fainting episodes
• Repetitive pain in the chest region
• If you notice such symptoms you should consult the doctor without delay