Angina pectoris or angina can be referred as a
temporary pain in chest that can result in a cardiac arrest or a heart attack,
if ignored. In an attack of angina, the patient feel a sense of stiffness
around the chest arean which results in choking, heaviness, squeezing or
burning along with pain in neck, shoulders, jaws or back.
Causes
First of all, we need to know what the causes
of angina are. Angina is primarily known as a coronary artery disorder. A
cholesterol deposition in the arteries causes the narrowing of the blood
passage through arteries resulting in the less supply of blood as compared to
the demand of the body. This cause a lack of oxygen in the heart muscles during
exercise or heavy work, and causes angina or chest pain.
Men above the age of 55 and women above the age
of 65 are the most likely to suffer from angina. A high diabetes or cigarette
smoking can also alleviate the disease to greater level. Other factors that can
contribute to angina are obesity, irregular blood pressure, and a family
history of heart disorders.
Types
The angina is classified into two types- stable
and unstable angina. Patients suffer from chronic stable angina when the heart
demands more oxygen than the regular amount, for example during exercise. This
pain of chest decreases if the patient takes some rest. The patient can suffers
from unstable angina anytime, and pain does not decrease even when the patient
is resting. This is dangerous as it can convert in to a heart attack.
Treatment and medication
The medications for angina treatment
vary according to its type. Stable angina can be treated with some rest and
medication such as acebutolol, nitro-glycerine, and metroprolol. If you are
diagnosed with unstable angina, then, it is advisable that you should consult a
doctor so that your condition could be done in a right way. Another medicine
that can relieve the angina is aspirin. It may not prevent the attack of angina,
but can reduce the extent of heart damage, and buy you time to get medical
advice. The studies have shown that a daily dose of aspirin has helped in
preventing the episodes of angina in patients. The men who take aspirin
regularly in the prescribed manner have less chance to suffer from angina than
the men who don’t take aspirin regularly.
Preventive measures
As the saying goes, prevention is better than
cure. You should change your life style in order to prevent the episodes of
chronic angina. Start it today by doing the following:
·
Quit
smoking or any use of tobacco
·
Maintain
a healthy diet full of essential nutrients and vitamins
·
Do
exercise regularly
·
Avoid
any type of stress, professional or emotional.
·
Lose
weight if you are obese and maintain a healthy weight.
·
Maintain
unhealthy fat and cholesterol.
With complete information and proper treatment,
it is possible to achieve a healthy life style.
