One of the symptoms of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris. What it is, how a similar pathology is diagnosed, we will discuss in today's article.
How angina develops
Atherosclerotic plaques, deposited on the walls of the coronary vessels, like scum on a teapot, narrow the lumen and ultimately cause insufficient heart muscle nutrition.
If this condition is exacerbated, then at the time of the load (physical or emotional), myocardial ischemia may develop, in other words, insufficient supply of blood to the heart. A similar signal about oxygen starvation in medicine is defined as angina pectoris. What is it, you can judge by its manifestations.
Unlike a heart attack, in which blood circulation in the heart is disrupted catastrophically and irreversibly, angina pectoris allows you to restore the balance between the oxygen demand of the heart and the amount of incoming blood after the load is stopped. But in the event that oxygen deficiency becomes critical, an angina attack can turn into a heart attack.
Angina pectoris - what is it? Symptoms of the disease
So, angina pectoris is a manifestation of insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. Its main signs are attacks of shortness of breath and
pain in the heart. By the way, there is no direct connection between the level of oxygen in the blood and the strength of pain, since the condition of the patient’s nervous system plays a significant role here.
Angina pectoris - what is it? It manifests itself as a pain, which is difficult to confuse with a sign of another ailment. Patients describe it as burning, pressing or compressing. As a rule, the pain gives to the shoulder, arm and jaw, less often - under the collarbone or in the upper abdomen. It is caused by any load, even plentiful food or going out of a warm room to the street, and very often accompanying feelings - anxiety or fear.
An equivalent symptom of angina pectoris may be shortness of breath. It is often the main symptom in the painless course of this pathology or accompanies pain (which happens much more often).
Angina classes
There are three types of it:
- stable (angina pectoris),
- unstable (preinfarction state),
- variant (vasospastic) angina pectoris.
Depending on the severity of the pathology, the first of them is divided into functional classes:
- I - rare episodes of sternal pain arising from a heavy load;
- II - seizures that occur during the quick execution of actions in adverse conditions (frosty weather, wind) and overeating;
- III - seizures that occur with small loads;
- IV - the inability to do any work without attacks, their appearance even at rest.
How is the diagnosis
The above symptoms can be valuable for early detection of the disease and determine its severity.
Accurate diagnosis of angina pectoris includes ECG readings (during exercise and at rest), which help determine the presence of ischemia and changes in heart rhythm. A stress test is also used to detect areas with inadequate blood supply, and an angiogram (x-ray of the coronary arteries). This is another diagnostic method that gives the most accurate indicators. Immediately before the test, the patient is injected with a catheter into the coronary artery contrast fluid, which helps to see changes in the vessels.
Now you will understand, having heard the diagnosis of angina pectoris, that this is a disease in which constant monitoring by a specialist and strict adherence to all his prescriptions is required.