World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Stable Angina
Angina pectoris is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease. It occurs when the heart muscle doesn't get as much blood as it needs. This usually happens because one or more of the heart's arteries are narrowed or blocked, also called ischemia.
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Causes
Risk factors for stable angina include:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol
- Smoking
- Cold weather
- Exercise
- Emotional stress
- Large meals
- Abnormal heart rhythms (usually ones that cause your heart to beat quickly)
- Anemia
- Heart failure
- Heart valve disease
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Symptoms
The most common symptom is chest pain.
The pain may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. It may spread to the:
Arm (usually the left)
The pain or discomfort:
- Occurs when the heart must work harder, usually during physical exertion
- Usually lasts a short time (5 minutes or less)
- May feel like gas or indigestion
- Is relieved with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin
- Usually begins slowly and gets worse over the next few minutes before going away.
- Can occur at any time during the day, but a higher number occur between 6 a.m. and noon.
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
symptoms
Other symptoms of angina include:
- A feeling of indigestion or heartburn
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Nausea, vomiting, and sweating
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained tiredness after activity (more common in women)
- atherosclerosis
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Prevention & Treatment
- Not smoking. If you do smoke, quit.
- Controlling your cholesterol through diet, exercise, and medicines.
- Controlling high blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.
- Controlling diabetes through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.
- Exercising at least 30 minutes a day.
- Keeping to a healthy weight by eating healthy foods, eating less, and joining a weight loss program, if you need to lose weight.
- Learning healthy ways to cope with stress through special classes or programs, or things like meditation or yoga.
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Outlook (Prognosis)
Stable angina usually improves with medication.
World Heart Day, 29 September 2017
Contact with Medical Professional
Contact with Medical Professional, Call your doctor if:
You are having angina symptoms more often
You are having angina when you are sitting (rest angina)
You are feeling tired more often
You are feeling faint or light-headed
Your heart is beating very slowly (less than 60 beats a minute) or very fast (more than 120 beats a minute), or it is not steady
You are having trouble taking your heart medicines