{"id":4362,"date":"2023-04-19T16:23:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T15:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/?page_id=4362"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:33:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:33:15","slug":"angina","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/angina\/","title":{"rendered":"Angina"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5>Arteries &amp; circulation<\/h5>\n<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style>\n<h1>Angina<\/h1>\n<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-divider{--divider-border-style:none;--divider-border-width:1px;--divider-color:#0c0d0e;--divider-icon-size:20px;--divider-element-spacing:10px;--divider-pattern-height:24px;--divider-pattern-size:20px;--divider-pattern-url:none;--divider-pattern-repeat:repeat-x}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider{display:flex}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__text{font-size:15px;line-height:1;max-width:95%}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__element{margin:0 var(--divider-element-spacing);flex-shrink:0}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-icon{font-size:var(--divider-icon-size)}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider-separator{display:flex;margin:0;direction:ltr}.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon .elementor-divider-separator,.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text .elementor-divider-separator{align-items:center}.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon .elementor-divider-separator:after,.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon .elementor-divider-separator:before,.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text .elementor-divider-separator:after,.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text .elementor-divider-separator:before{display:block;content:\"\";border-bottom:0;flex-grow:1;border-top:var(--divider-border-width) var(--divider-border-style) var(--divider-color)}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-left .elementor-divider .elementor-divider-separator>.elementor-divider__svg:first-of-type{flex-grow:0;flex-shrink:100}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-left .elementor-divider-separator:before{content:none}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-left .elementor-divider__element{margin-left:0}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-right .elementor-divider .elementor-divider-separator>.elementor-divider__svg:last-of-type{flex-grow:0;flex-shrink:100}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-right .elementor-divider-separator:after{content:none}.elementor-widget-divider--element-align-right .elementor-divider__element{margin-right:0}.elementor-widget-divider:not(.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text):not(.elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon) .elementor-divider-separator{border-top:var(--divider-border-width) var(--divider-border-style) var(--divider-color)}.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern{--divider-border-style:none}.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern.elementor-widget-divider--view-line .elementor-divider-separator,.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern:not(.elementor-widget-divider--view-line) .elementor-divider-separator:after,.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern:not(.elementor-widget-divider--view-line) .elementor-divider-separator:before,.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern:not([class*=elementor-widget-divider--view]) .elementor-divider-separator{width:100%;min-height:var(--divider-pattern-height);-webkit-mask-size:var(--divider-pattern-size) 100%;mask-size:var(--divider-pattern-size) 100%;-webkit-mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);background-color:var(--divider-color);-webkit-mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url);mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url)}.elementor-widget-divider--no-spacing{--divider-pattern-size:auto}.elementor-widget-divider--bg-round{--divider-pattern-repeat:round}.rtl .elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__text{direction:rtl}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-divider,.e-con>.elementor-widget-divider{width:var(--container-widget-width,100%);--flex-grow:var(--container-widget-flex-grow)}<\/style>\n<h2>What is angina?<\/h2>\n<p>Your heart is supplied with blood by your coronary arteries, which wrap around the outside of the heart muscle and bring it the oxygen it needs to function.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If your coronary arteries are clogged or narrowed, and your heart is not getting enough oxygen, you may experience a kind of chest pain known as <strong>angina<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Angina<\/strong> is usually, but not always, caused by coronary artery disease &#8211;\u00a0 atherosclerosis that has narrowed or blocked your coronary arteries. It can also be caused by functional problems that restrict blood flow and by blood vessel spasms.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/atherosclerosis\/\">Atherosclerosis<\/a> section.<\/p>\n<p>There are four main types of <strong>angina<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Stable <\/strong>and<strong> unstable angina <\/strong>are caused by coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Microvascular angina<\/strong> is caused by problems in the smaller vessels that branch off your main coronary arteries<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Variant<\/strong>, or <strong>Prinzmetal<\/strong>, <strong>angina <\/strong>is caused by coronary artery spasms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People who experience <strong>angina<\/strong> describe it as a feeling of pressure or tightness in the center of the chest that, when it\u2019s at its worst, can be like having their chest squeezed in a vise. The discomfort often spreads to the neck, shoulders, back, arms, or jaw.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Attacks of <strong>angina<\/strong> can also come with symptoms like tiredness, nausea, shortness of breath, and excessive sweating.<\/p>\n<h2>What is stable angina?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stable angina<\/strong> is the most common type of angina.<\/p>\n<p>The pain of <strong>stable angina<\/strong> starts when your heart is working harder than usual &#8211;\u00a0 when you exercise or if you\u2019re under emotional stress &#8211;\u00a0 and then it recedes, usually within five or 10 minutes, once your heart slows down again.<\/p>\n<p>If you repeat the activity your angina will return.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Episodes of <strong>stable angina<\/strong> can also be caused by being very hot or very cold.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stable angina<\/strong> typically follows a regular pattern &#8211; for example, it happens every time you climb the stairs &#8211; and it doesn\u2019t get worse over time.<\/p>\n<p>While it is a symptom of underlying coronary artery disease, an episode of <strong>stable angina<\/strong> is not a medical emergency and your doctor will advise you that it can usually be controlled by medication and rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stable angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"651\" src=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/anims\/b10\/b_10_002.html\" frameborder=\"0\"  title=\"animation of stable angina\" title=\"animation of stable angina\" ><\/iframe>\t\t<\/p>\n<h2>What is unstable angina?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Unstable angina<\/strong> is chest pain that can come on quite suddenly, certainly with exertion but also at rest. It gets worse over time, lasts longer than an attack of stable angina &#8211; perhaps 20 minutes or more &#8211; and may not subside with medication or rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unstable angina is a medical emergency<\/strong>. If you have an attack of <strong>unstable angina<\/strong>, it means that the blockages in your coronary arteries have reached a critical level and your heart is being acutely deprived of oxygen. You may be at risk of having a <a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/heart-attack\/\">heart attack.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Unstable angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"650\" src=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/anims\/b10\/b_10_001.html\" frameborder=\"0\"  title=\"animation of unstable angina\" title=\"animation of unstable angina\" ><\/iframe>\t\t<\/p>\n<h2>What is microvascular angina?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Microvascular angina<\/strong> is caused by functional problems in the small blood vessels that branch off your main coronary arteries.<\/p>\n<p>The blood vessels don&#8217;t widen properly to let blood through, or they spasm, and your heart may become oxygen starved as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If your <strong>microvascular angina<\/strong> is caused by lack of dilation in the small vessels, it will tend to flare up when you exercise or when you are stressed, as with stable angina.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> If it\u2019s caused by microvascular spasm it can happen any time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Microvascular angina<\/strong> is much more common in women than men, and it tends to occur after menopause.<\/p>\n<h2>What is variant angina?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Variant angina<\/strong> (also known as <strong>Prinzmetal angina<\/strong>) occurs in people with no discernable coronary heart disease.<\/p>\n<p>It is caused by coronary artery spasm and can be very painful. <strong>Variant angina<\/strong> can happen at any time; attacks are not brought on by exercise, in fact, they most commonly occur during the night between midnight and morning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Variant angina<\/strong> is quite rare, and it often arises in relatively young, otherwise healthy people &#8211; unlike those who are diagnosed with stable or unstable angina. \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>What causes angina?<\/h2>\n<p>All <strong>angina<\/strong> is caused by your heart not getting enough oxygen, but the reasons for this vary depending on which type of <strong>angina<\/strong> you have.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Causes of stable and unstable angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The cause of <strong>stable angina<\/strong> (by far the most common form) and\u00a0 <strong>unstable angina <\/strong>is coronary artery disease &#8211; in other words, <a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/atherosclerosis\/\">atherosclerosis<\/a> of the coronary arteries. The arteries become narrowed or blocked by plaque and your heart is then starved of oxygen as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So, ultimately, the causes of <strong>stable<\/strong> and <strong>unstable angina<\/strong>\u00a0mirror the causes of <a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/atherosclerosis\/\">atherosclerosis<\/a>, which include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diet: Animal fats, tropical oils like palm and coconut oil, salt, sugar, and processed foods all contribute to your risk of developing atherosclerotic narrowing of your coronary arteries.<\/li>\n<li>Smoking<\/li>\n<li>Lack of exercise<\/li>\n<li>Drinking too much alcohol<\/li>\n<li>Being overweight<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/hypertension\/\">Hypertension<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Age: Being over 60 years old<\/li>\n<li>Genetic factors, like familial hypercholesterolemia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you have <strong>stable angina<\/strong>, <strong>attacks can be triggered by<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Exercise<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Stress<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Extreme heat or cold<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">A large meal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you have\u00a0<strong>unstable angina<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>attacks can be triggered by<\/strong>\u00a0all of these same factors but they can also happen at rest and very suddenly.\u00a0<strong>Unstable angina<\/strong>\u00a0can be a sign of an impending <a href=\"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/heart-attack\/\">heart attack<\/a> and is a medical emergency.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Causes of microvascular and variant angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Microvascular angina<\/strong> can be caused by narrowing and lack of dilation of the small blood vessels that branch off your coronary arteries, or it can be caused by spasming that has the same effect &#8211; the vessels clamp down and don&#8217;t let blood through.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Variant angina<\/strong> (or <strong>Prinzmetal angina<\/strong>), which is rare, is also caused by blood vessel spasm, but this time it\u2019s your big coronary arteries that are the problem, not the tiny branching vessels.<\/p>\n<p>The causes of the blood vessel spasms that lead to <strong>microvascular<\/strong> and <strong>variant angina<\/strong> are not clear, but may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Stress<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Exposure to cold<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Medications that constrict your blood vessels, such as decongestants and some migraine treatments<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Some illicit drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the symptoms of angina?<\/h2>\n<p>The common symptom of all types of angina is chest discomfort or pain. However, the pattern, duration, and severity of the pain differs depending on which type you have.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of stable angina:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chest pain or discomfort, often during exercise or stress<\/li>\n<li>Pain may spread to your arms, neck, or shoulders<\/li>\n<li>The episodes are brief, usually no longer than 5 minutes<\/li>\n<li>You may experience sweating, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath<\/li>\n<li>Pain is relieved by resting and\/or medication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of unstable angina:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Severe chest pain that may occur while resting or only lightly physically active and is often quite sudden in onset<\/li>\n<li>Pain may spread to your arms, neck, or shoulders<\/li>\n<li>The episodes may last for more than 20 minutes and may return<\/li>\n<li>You may experience sweating, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath<\/li>\n<li>Pain is not relieved by medication or rest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you experience these symptoms you should immediately seek medical assistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of microvascular angina:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chest pain or discomfort during your normal daily routine as well as during exercise and stress<\/li>\n<li>Pain may spread to your arms, neck, or shoulders<\/li>\n<li>The episodes usually last at least 10 minutes<\/li>\n<li>You may experience sweating, nausea, and dizziness<\/li>\n<li>Pain is only sometimes relieved by medication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of variant angina:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chest pain or discomfort while resting, usually during the night (between midnight and approximately 8:00 am)<\/li>\n<li>Pain may spread to your arms, head, or shoulders<\/li>\n<li>The episodes follow a regular pattern and usually last for 5 to 15 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Sweating, nausea, and dizziness<\/li>\n<li>Pain is relieved by medication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How is angina treated?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stable and unstable angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Treatment options for <strong>stable angina<\/strong> center on\u00a0 reversal of the atherosclerosis that is blocking your coronary arteries:\u00a0 lifestyle changes, medications, and &#8211; if necessary &#8211; surgery to reopen clogged blood vessels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Treatments for <strong>stable angina<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lifestyle changes<\/strong>: Improve your diet (restrict animal fats, red meat, tropical oils, salt, sugar, and processed foods), exercise more, drink less alcohol, quit smoking<\/li>\n<li><strong>Medication<\/strong>: Medications can open up constricted coronary arteries (nitroglycerin), lower your cholesterol level (statins), manage your blood sugar (if diabetes is a contributing factor), control hypertension, and prevent blood clots<\/li>\n<li><b>Surgery<\/b>: A transcatheter procedure can be used to stent areas of acutely narrowed vessels. Surgery to bypass blocked coronary arteries is a final option<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For <strong>unstable angina<\/strong>, the same treatments apply, but in a different order. <strong>Unstable angina is a medical emergency<\/strong>, and first-line treatments are medication and surgery. Long term though, lifestyle changes are very important.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Microvascular and variant angina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The mechanism for the narrowing or spasming of the heart\u2019s microvessels in <strong>microvascular angina<\/strong> isn\u2019t well understood and treating it effectively can be very challenging.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The same applies to <strong>variant angina<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Leading a healthy lifestyle is always important, and while it\u2019s not key to treating <strong>microvascular<\/strong> or <strong>variant angina<\/strong> your doctor will probably recommend changes if there\u2019s room for improvement.<\/p>\n<p>Medication can help prevent the coronary artery spasms that are causing the restricted blood flow to your heart and vasodilators can help open the vessels again.<\/p>\n<p>Treatments for<strong> microvascular <\/strong>and<strong> variant angina<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lifestyle changes: Improve your diet, lose weight if necessary, exercise more, drink less alcohol, quit smoking<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Medications such as nitroglycerin to open up (dilate) the narrowed or spasming blood vessels<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Avoidance of drugs like cocaine, which can cause blood vessel spasms<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Avoidance of medications that constrict vessels, such as migraine medications, decongestants, and weight-loss drugs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the aims of treatment?<\/h2>\n<p>The immediate aims of treatment are to ease the pain and distress caused by <strong>angina<\/strong>. The long-term aims are to treat the underlying cause, if known.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In <strong>unstable angina<\/strong>, the aim of treatment, both immediate and long-term, is to prevent you from having a heart attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arteries &amp; circulation Angina What is angina? Your heart is supplied with blood by your coronary arteries, which wrap around the outside of the heart muscle and bring it the oxygen it needs to function.\u00a0 If your coronary arteries are clogged or narrowed, and your heart is not getting enough oxygen, you may experience a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4362","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4362"}],"version-history":[{"count":242,"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15126,"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4362\/revisions\/15126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heart-explained.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}