Angina
Angina Information
Angina Pectoris ("Angina") is a recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough blood. It is a common symptom of coronary heart disease (CHD), which occurs when vessels that carry blood to the heart become narrowed and blocked due to atherosclerosis. The main cause of narrowing of the blood vessels is age, but this is accelerated by cigarette smoking. To a lesser extent people with a high cholesterol level, people who are obese (overweight), and diabetics are also more at risk.
Diagnosis of angina is largely from the history. That is, there has been pain, usually brought on by exertion, which is situated as indicated above, usually goes off within a few minutes when you stop what you are doing, and is relieved by sucking a GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) tablet under the tongue.
Treatment of Angina
Angina pectoris can be treated with drugs that affect (1) the supply of blood to the heart muscle or (2) the heart's demand for oxygen. An example of the first case are drugs called coronary vasodilators. These drugs cause blood vessels to relax. When this happens, the opening inside the vessels (the lumen) gets bigger. Then blood flow improves, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the heart muscle.
Nitroglycerin is the drug most often used. It relaxes the veins (reducing the amount of blood that returns to the heart and thus lessening the work of pumping) and the coronary arteries (increasing the blood supply to the heart).
In the second case, the heart's demand for oxygen can also be modified. For example, a drug can be prescribed to reduce blood pressure. This will reduce the heart's workload and need for oxygen, by lowering resistance to flow. Drugs that slow the heart rate achieve a similar effect.
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