$Unique_ID{BRK01039}
$Pretitle{Circulatory System}
$Title{What is Meant by Angina?}
$Subject{angina diagnosis description}
$Volume{G-3}
$Log{
Blood Supply to the Heart*0008901.scf}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What is Meant by Angina?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  There are times when the sound of a diagnosis can make you afraid.
Please explain just what is meant by angina and tell of its treatment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  A little information can remove the anxiety from angina.  Angina
pectoris is chest pain caused by poor blood supply to the muscles of the heart
due to narrowed or clogged coronary arteries.  When your heart is working
harder than its blood supply can keep up with, the area of the heart that is
short of oxygen reacts like any other overworked muscle and sends out pain
messages.  This pain usually makes a person stop and rest, which reduces the
demand on the heart, and so the pain goes away.
     If the blood supply becomes permanently cut off to a section of the
heart, this is a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.  Angina can lead to a
myocardial infarction, but it may remain as a stable condition that does not
get worse, without a true heart attack developing.
     Most people with angina describe the pain as a squeezing or burning
sensation or tightness of the chest.  Some feel angina pain around the lower
jaw, back of the neck or the middle of the back.  They may also feel a sense
of foreboding or doom.  The pain is felt during exertion, such as walking or
climbing stairs, during an emotional upset or after a heavy meal and it goes
away quickly if you sit down and rest for a few minutes.
     Angina is a serious condition, but it does not necessarily mean that a
heart attack is imminent.  (Angina pain that is prolonged may be a symptom of
a heart attack.)  Unfortunately, there is no good correlation between the
amount of angina pain and the extent of heart disease.
     After a complete and careful physical examination, cardiac angiography,
where x-rays are taken of your heart after an opaque dye has been injected
into the coronary arteries, can provide a clear picture of the heart's blood
supply.
     Angina can be effectively treated with medications, including
nitroglycerin or other nitrates, beta blocker agents and calcium channel
blockers.  These drugs are taken either regularly to limit the number and
severity of attacks or when an angina attack starts.  However, they do not
cure the underlying condition.  Angina can also be treated surgically with
coronary bypass operations that replace the narrowed or clogged arteries with
replacement arteries.
ÿ
----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
