Angina – Symptoms, Diagnosis, And Treatments
The heart’s functions play an important role in the body. Its malfunctions can lead to major medical threats. Heart attack and cardiac arrest count as cardiac emergencies and should be addressed at the earliest. Often these onsets due to the presence of some long-term unresolved cardiac conditions. Angina is one such underlying heart condition. Let’s understand all its aspects in brief.
Angina is characterized by feeling pain, discomfort or tightness in the chest. It occurs when the cardiac tissues do not get an adequate amount of oxygen.
Symptoms of Angina
Angina is easily recognizable due to the presence of the following symptoms, prominently on the chest region-
- Pain
- Tightness
- Burning Sensation
- Heartburn
- Pain that spreads to jaws, neck, shoulder or back
It can also be accompanied by secondary symptoms such as weakness, indigestion, nausea, cramping, sweating, etc. These discomforts may last in between a few minutes to several hours.
Diagnosis Of Angina
An accurate diagnosis of angina is crucial to resolve it for good. The following diagnostic approaches are carried out to diagnose angina and its degree of severity.
- Stress Test – It monitors the activity of heart performing under duress. It is estimated while the patient is in between physical stress.
- Chest X-ray – This imaging technique shows the structures inside the heart to look for the possible cause of the setting angina.
- Coronary Angioplasty – It uses special dye and x-ray technique to visualize the inside of the coronary arteries.
- Electrogram – It uses special equipment to record the electric activity of the heart to trace the amount of the oxygen it is getting.
Apart from these, the expert cardiologist or the pathologist will look for blood profile screening to evaluate the level of cholesterol and other factors. It often also involves evaluating family history and personal history.
Treatment Of Angina
The treatment approach of angina aims to treat the pain, ease symptoms, and discomfort, it also minimizes its chances of causing more severe threats in the future. It includes several lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, losing weight, keeping cholesterol levels in check, dealing with stress effectively and other measures. However, often several medications are also advised to keep blood pressure profile in check. In fact, nowadays, coronary angioplasty and bypass are recommended for many patients dealing with persistent angina.
Angina itself is not a medical threat, but it is unwise to leave it untreated.