Treatment and prevention of angina

Angina pectoris can vary from person to person in terms of pain level, frequency of occurrence and other accompanying symptoms. In any case, you should not be subjective with this condition because it can be a warning sign of a serious health problem.

1. What is angina?

Angina is a feeling of pain, tightness and heaviness in the chest, which occurs when the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, causing the heart muscle to not receive enough blood or even stop supplying blood. Prolonged conditions will cause damage and weakening of the heart muscle, more seriously, necrosis. At this time, the patient will face many dangerous complications, including stroke and death.

Based on cause and severity, angina is divided into two common types as follows.

• Stable angina : Occurs when atherosclerotic plaques appear in the coronary arteries, causing narrowing of the artery lumen. In normal conditions , the arteries are still sufficient to meet the needs of the heart muscle. However, when the patient overworks or experiences a strong emotional event, the artery lumen constricts, causing narrowing or increasing the heart muscle's need for oxygen. At that time, the coronary arteries cannot meet the needs of the heart muscle, leading to angina. When everything is over, the pain quickly disappears.
• Unstable angina : Occurs suddenly and at any time. Caused by atherosclerotic plaques breaking off or by the formation of blood clots in the coronary arteries leading to partial or complete narrowing of the artery branches, causing ischemia of the heart muscle. If the pain lasts for a long time and is not treated, the patient will be in danger.

Chest pain is an abnormal health warning that should not be ignored.

2. Causes and symptoms of angina

Coronary artery disease is the main cause of angina . Specifically, when the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked by fatty deposits and accumulation, or by blood clots forming, it will impede blood circulation. This reduces blood flow to the heart muscle, the heart does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, causing pain.

In addition, there are many factors that increase the risk of angina, such as old age, people with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, history of stroke, family history of cardiovascular disease, etc.

Symptoms of angina include:

• A stabbing, squeezing pain behind the breastbone.
• Pain from the chest radiates to the shoulders, neck, lower jaw and upper abdomen.
• Pain level does not change when changing position or breathing.
• Chest pain is accompanied by difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc.

Some pains only last a few minutes and will go away with rest or medication. But some pains last for hours and do not subside despite many treatments. Patients should report this condition to their doctor to aid in diagnosis and treatment.

The condition and severity of angina pectoris varies from person to person.

3. Treatment of angina

If angina attacks occur frequently and are suspected to be due to a medical condition, the doctor will perform diagnostic methods such as echocardiography, electrocardiogram, liver and kidney function tests, blood sugar quantification, etc. After the diagnosis, the patient will be prescribed the following treatment methods.

Rest

With pain that appears during exertion, the patient needs to focus on resting. While resting, the pressure on the heart will decrease, thereby, the pain will also subside and disappear.

Use medicine

If angina is caused by ischemia of the heart, medication is necessary. Some medications used in this case include Aspirin (which prevents blood clots from forming in the blood vessels), Nitrates (which dilate narrowed blood vessels), and beta blockers (which reduce the work of contraction and help the heart beat more slowly).

Vascular intervention

This treatment is indicated when angina does not subside despite medication, rest, and lifestyle changes. Depending on the cause and condition of the disease, the patient will undergo coronary angioplasty, coronary stent placement, or coronary artery bypass grafting. The purpose is to widen and clear narrowed, blocked blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more easily.

Medication is one of the treatments for angina.

4. Prevention of angina

Even if you have been treated, angina attacks can still recur and cause dangerous complications. Therefore, in your daily life, you need to pay attention to the following things to prevent the pain from "coming back" as well as avoid putting yourself in dangerous situations.

Eliminate risk factors

Cardiovascular diseases and complications are very likely to occur in people in the risk group. Therefore, eliminating or minimizing risk factors is also a way to protect cardiovascular health.

• Say no to tobacco, alcohol and stimulants.
• Do not stay up late, do not work or exercise too hard.
• Avoid prolonged stress and strong emotions.
• Check and monitor blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
• Control blood cholesterol levels in patients with dyslipidemia.
• Maintain stable blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure.

Change your diet

For people with cardiovascular disease, in the diet, it is necessary to avoid consuming animal fat and organs, red meat, egg yolks, etc. Pay attention to adding healthy foods such as green vegetables, fruits, seeds, beans, salmon, tuna, olive oil, almond oil, etc.

Exercise every day

The common psychology of people with heart disease is to fear exercise, avoid exercise because of the worry that it will make the heart beat faster, causing complications. However, doctors still encourage patients to exercise every day with moderate exercises such as walking, yoga, ... and the exercise time does not need to be too much, just 30 minutes/day or when the body feels sweaty.

Exercise gently and regularly every day to prevent disease.

We have learned in detail about angina . If you often experience this pain, go see a doctor immediately. One of the quality examination addresses for you to choose is the Cardiology Department of the MEDLATEC Healthcare System. Please call 1900 56 56 56 to make an appointment today.