Have you ever seen dramas on television or online mentioning the words “angina”? It may be new to some but one thing for sure is that such a word is often associated with a scene where an old person suddenly falls to the floor after a stressful situation with their hands on their chest. Angina is often referred to as chest pain. Question now is, does angina only happen after such stressful conditions that are often portrayed in dramas? To answer that, we have to know more about angina and its main cause first.
Angina is characterised by feelings of discomfort or chest pain resembling a heart attack. Such discomfort may also occur in the shoulder, arms, neck, jaw, abdomen and back. Differences between angina and heart attack is angina usually goes away in a few minutes and heart attack often causes persisting pain as the blood flow to the heart muscle is restricted or blocked by blood clot in the blood vessel of the heart, mainly arteries. Angina is usually considered as a warning sign that something is wrong with the heart while heart attack itself typically means damage to the heart has already taken place.
The main cause of angina is a heart disease known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis happens when fatty substances form plaques that build-up in the arteries. This in time leads to blocking of the blood flow to the heart muscles causing less oxygen is received by the heart. As time goes by, the heart is forced to work extra in order to meet the demand of the body. Ultimately, this results in an angina as one or more coronary arteries is narrowed or blocked.
Apart from the main cause, there are other causes that are associated with angina. This includes blockage of the blood vessels in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), an enlarged heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), narrowing heart’s aortic valve (aortic stenosis) and inflammation to the tissues capsulating the heart (pericarditis). Since there are many causes that could lead to angina, it is best to get medical advice immediately when you experience chest pain.
Symptoms of angina mainly revolve around the chest pain itself. The pain can is usually described as a tight chest or feeling heavy as if something is on top of the chest. It is usually triggered by stress or physical activity (yes, not only stress such as in drama can trigger angina). Sometimes a person might be feeling sick or breathless when angina occurs. Angina usually stops after a few minutes of rest. If angina does not stop after rest and lasts longer or intensely than usual, it could mean it is an unstable angina. Either stable or unstable angina, it is wide to get medical advice to discuss treatments available to help the heart get better blood flow. Treatments include medicine and operation. Operation usually is done when medicine is not effective in resolving the angina.
Preventing oneself from developing angina is as simple as it gets. Those with high risk of developing angina and heart diseases such as people with hypertension or diabetes, smoking, overweight, unhealthy diet and lifestyle, older people and family history of heart diseases are advised to minimise risk by taking a good care of the heart. This includes practising a balanced meal packed with vegetables and fruits, regular exercises 3 times a week, smoking cessation, avoiding triggers such as stress or intense exercise and practising good stress management like meditation or breathing exercise.
In essence, angina should be taken seriously. Whenever a chest pain is new or unusual, get yourself to the emergency room immediately. Quick treatment is crucial to protect the heart from damages.
