Angina pectoris is a form of myocardial ischemia that manifests itself mainly in people of the middle and older age. Some doctors call angina pectoris a coronary artery disease (CAD) since the main reason for its occurrence is obstruction of the coronary arteries. Due to obstruction, and oxygen deficiency arises in the heart muscle, which leads to a violation in its work. Here are Angina Pectoris Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.
Angina Pectoris: Symptoms, Causes, Stages & Treatment (at Germany)
Angina Pectoris Classification & Stages
Classification of angina pectoris is simple since it can arise during physical activity or at rest (the spontaneous form of the pathology). There is also a classification of the disease according to its severity:
- Primary
- Stable, which lasts for a long time without aggravations
- Unstable, which causes a high risk of myocardial infarction and primary cardiac arrest
Some patients experience episodes of local spasm of the coronary arteries in the absence of obvious atherosclerotic lesions. This pain syndrome is called variant angina pectoris, or Prinzmetal angina. Variant angina often develops at rest, in this case, oxygen delivery to the myocardium is reduced due to intense vasospasm of large arteries.
Signs, Symptoms, and Causes of Angina Pectoris Development
It is possible that the symptoms of one type of angina pectoris can transform into symptoms of another one. For example, a stable type of disease can become especially dangerous if chest pain becomes more frequent. In older patients attacks of this disease can be revealed by the changes in the electrocardiography.
If you experience one or more symptoms, contact the hospital immediately. Here are the main of them:
- Sudden discomfort, chest pain or burning feeling in the chest
- Pain provoked by walking, any physical activity, excitement, emotional stress, cold air, smoking, or pain at rest
- The pain is more often located behind the sternum but can irradiate to the left arm, the left half of the lower jaw, teeth, shoulder, back or upper abdomen
- Pain occurs in the form of mild seizures (3-5 minutes), seizures can repeat with different frequency
- The pain typically disappears 2-3 minutes after the cessation of walking or other physical activity or taking nitroglycerin
- Angina pectoris attacks may be connected with increased blood pressure, smoking, untimely intake or withdrawal of drugs
How to Diagnose Angina Pectoris?
What is the trigger for angina pectoris and diagnostics of coronary heart disease like myocardial and angina pectoris are based on a thorough anamnesis taking. Additional methods are required to confirm the diagnosis and clarify the disease severity:
- Performing an electrocardiogram (ECG) at rest and during the attack
- Carrying out load tests (treadmill test or test on a bicycle ergometer)
- Round-the-clock ECG recording (Holter ECG monitoring), when indicated (in a frequent pulse, disturbed heart rhythm)
- Coronary angiography (contrast study of the arteries of the heart)
How to Treat Angina Pectoris
The treatment of angina pectoris has two goals:
- The first is to improve the prognosis and prevent the occurrence of serious complications – myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death
- The second is to reduce the severity of clinical symptoms – the frequency and intensity of angina attacks and, thus, improve the quality of life
For the treatment of coronary artery disease and angina pectoris, different classes of medications and surgery are used today. Their action is aimed at preventing the development of myocardial ischemia and angina attacks, vascular thrombosis, as well as preventing atherosclerosis progression, lowering high blood pressure and heart rate.
If the disease is progressing against the background of active drug therapy, it is necessary to apply modern interventional and surgical methods to restore sufficient myocardial blood supply. For foreigners, it will be more convenient to undergo treatment of angina pectoris in Germany with the help of Booking Health. Booking Health is a world-renowned medical tourism provider that has been helping patients from other countries with receiving treatment in Germany for over 10 years.
Here are the most effective surgical methods to cure Angina Pectoris:
- Balloon angioplasty – expansion of the vessel at the site of stenosis through balloon inflating
- Stenting of the coronary arteries – installation of a special stent (tube), allowing to expand the artery and ensure normal blood flow
- Coronary artery bypass grafting is used in patients with specific localizations of an atheromatous plaque and significant or multiple narrowing of the coronary vessel