Angina: Diagnosis and Treatment Options :: Health Medicine

angina pectoris Diagnosis and Treatment Options Angina refers to the pain arising from lack of adequate blood supply tothe heart muscle. Typically, it is a crushing pain behind the breastbonein the center of the chest, brought on by exertion and relieved by rest. Itmay at time radiate to or arise in the left arm, neck, jaw, left chest, orback. It is frequently accompanied by sweating, palpitations of the heart,and generally lasts a matter of minutes. alike(p) pain syndromes may becaused by opposite disorders, including esophagitis, gall bladder disease,ulcers, and others. Diagnosis of angina begins with the recognition of the consistentsymptoms. Often an exercise examine with radioactive thallium is performed ifthe diagnosis is in question, and sometimes even a cardiac catheterizationis done if the outcome is felt necessary to make prudence decisions. Thisis a complex area which requires elaborate judgment by medico and patient. Angina is a manifestation of corona ry artery disease, the same diseaseleading to heart attacks. Coronary artery diseas refers to those syndromescaused by blockage to the ascend of blood in those arteries supplying theheart muscle itself, i.e., the coronary arteries. same(p) any other organ, theheart requires a steady flow of type O and nutrients to provide energy forrmovement, and to maintain the delicate balance of chemicals which allowfor the careful electrical rhythm control of the heart beat. Unlike someother organs, the heart can survive only a matter of minutes without thesenutrients, and the rest of the body can survive only minutes without theheart--thus the life-sustaining nature of these syndromes. Causes of blockage range from congenital tissue strands within or overthe arteries to spasms of the muscular coat of the arteries themselves. Byfar the most ballpark cause, however, is the deposition of plaques of cholesterol, platelets and other substances within the arterial walls.Sometimes the buildup is very gradual, tho in other cases the buildup issuddenly increased as a clunk of matter breaks off and suddenly blocks thealready narrowed opening. Certain factors bet to favor the buildup of these plaques. A strongfamily history of heart attacks is a defined risk factor, reflecting somemetabolic derangement in either cholesterol handling or some other factor.Being male, for reasons probably relate to the protective effects of somefemale hormones, is also a comparative risk. Cigarette smoking and high bloodpressure are definite risks, both reversible in most cases.