Angina is a period of chest pain, discomfort, or tightness that generally spreads into the arms, shoulders, back, neck, and jaw. Dizziness, sweating, and nausea often accompany it. There are several types of angina: stable, unstable, variant, and microvascular. The cause is largely dependent on the type, which makes the treatment also dependent on the type.
An underlying heart condition is often responsible for angina, such as coronary heart disease (CHD), in which a collection of fat, calcium, cholesterol, and other bits of things form a hard plaque in the blood vessels, which makes it difficult for blood flow to be sufficient. While a change in lifestyle may help relieve angina, medication may be necessary sometimes. In some cases, especially unstable angina, symptoms are unaffected by medicine and may require surgery.
Lifestyle Changes
Since lifestyle choices are so strongly enmeshed in the risk factors, treatment, and prevention of angina as well as many other coronary conditions, changing your eating, exercise, and unhealthy habits can do a world of good for the heart. Although it will help severe cases, it may put a halt to mild cases of angina altogether.
Since some types of angina can be triggered by exercise, talk to a doctor about appropriate activity levels that will help you get healthy without causing chest pain. Keep your weight under control, and make sure any underlying disorders that might cause additional problems, like diabetes, are also in control. Avoid cigarettes, and learn how to manage mental stress.
Medications
There are several types of medications used to treat angina. Your doctor will help you decide which option is best for you based on the type of angina you have. The most common include:
- Nitrates: Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin tablets, dilate the blood vessels so blood can move more easily. They may be used as needed or on a constant preventative basis.
- Blood Thinners: There are several types of blood thinners that may be appropriate for angina. Sometimes simply taking an aspirin a day will be sufficient to help prevent the blood from clotting as easily and forming blockages. Other medications that provide a similar service are drugs like Prasugrel, which make it more difficult for blood platelets to stick together.
- Beta Blockers: Beta blockers lower blood pressure by “blocking” epinephrine, which allows the heart to beat more slowly and less forcefully. They also dilate the blood vessels.
- Statins: Statins work on angina by preventing the body from making cholesterol, as well as potentially reabsorbing that which is already present in plaque. Experts suggest there may be other benefits for the heart as well.
- Calcium channel blockers: These help relieve angina by causing arteries to dilate through their interaction with the muscles of the artery walls.
Surgical Alternatives
When medications and lifestyle changes aren’t enough, especially in the case of unstable angina, surgery may be necessary. Angioplasty and stenting are common procedures that improve blood flow. A small balloon is inserted and inflated in the artery. A small coil is then implanted to keep the artery dilated. Coronary artery bypass surgery can be helpful for angina that fails respond to other options. It involves taking an artery from elsewhere in the body, and using it to “bypass” the artery that is blocked or damaged.
