Angina means pain or discomfort, coming from the heart, generally due to blocked arteries, and usually occurring with exertion. Not all chest pain is angina, and not all people with blocked arteries have pain. Not necessarily. Only in people with certain "high-risk" characteristics (e.g. unstable symptoms, triple vessel disease, poor heart muscle function) has it been proven that we can prolong life by these methods.

Your father has a serious heart condition that occurs when the heart does not receive all the oxygen-rich blood it needs to function well. He may feel pain or discomfort in the center of the chest behind the breastbone. He may also have what is called "radiating pain" in the jaw, shoulder, back, or arms. Angina pain can be triggered by physical activity, such as climbing stairs, or by emotional stress, such as frustration or anger.

Unfortunately, a simple EKG does not reliably detect angina. Therefore, the physician must perform additional tests, like an exercise stress test. The stress test is the only investigation needed for many people, since it is accurate most of the time. But even this test cannot identify exactly where or how severely the coronary arteries are blocked. So, in some people, additional tests like coronary angiography may be required.

Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. CAD occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries. This buildup of plaque is called atherosclerosis. As plaque builds up, the coronary arteries become narrow and stiff. Blood flow to the heart is reduced. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle. The three types of angina are stable, unstable, and variant (Prinzmetal's). It is very important to know the differences among the types.

Though everyone's body is different from people's testimonials they acknowledge that their angina pain stops in a few days. Sometimes it may take a few months but rarely.

episode of angina is NOT a heart attack. However, people with angina report having a hard time telling the difference between angina symptoms and heart attack symptoms. Angina is a recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough blood temporarily. A person may notice it during exertion (such as in climbing stairs). It is usually relieved within a few minutes by resting or by taking prescribed angina medicine.

Angina pectoris is the first signal of a cardiovascular disorder following coronary artery disease (inadequate coronary circulation) due to narrowing of a coronary artery.

According to the American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, more than 6.6 million people in the United States are currently diagnosed with angina. Of those, 4.1 million are women and 2.5 million are men. In addition, more than 400,000 people are newly diagnosed with angina each year. Read more about who gets angina and why in Risk Factors.

Unstable angina. People with coronary artery disease may develop unstable angina, meaning pain and discomfort can happen unpredictably, even during rest. The pain is generally more severe and frequent than that of chronic angina. New or more severe symptoms of unstable angina require medical help right away, since a heart attack may be about to happen. Chronic angina patients may develop unstable angina as their condition progresses. Syndrome X.

Currently, three drug classes are used to treat chronic angina: nitrates, calcium channel blockers, and beta-blockers. Beta-blockers stop the action of a substance in the nervous system (adrenaline) that stimulates the heart to work harder and faster. By reducing the heart's workload (by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, and the strength of the pumping force of the heart), beta-blockers decrease the amount of oxygen that the heart requires to perform.

Yes, they might. Your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure if your medications no longer help control your angina pain. The goal of these procedures is to allow an increased flow of blood to the oxygen-deprived heart. The four primary procedure options are percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP), and transmyocardial revascularization (TMR). PCI.

Unstable" angina is a form of angina that is much more serious than stable angina. Unstable angina occurs when a person is resting, asleep, or undergoes physical exertion. Severe discomfort may come on suddenly in someone who has never had angina before. Attacks may intensify or happen more often. Unstable angina is caused by blood clots that form around damaged plaque (fatty deposit) within a coronary artery. Sometimes the clot washes away after the damage has healed.

Nitroglycerin tablets are "vasodilators" - that is, they increase the diameter of the arteries, improving blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body. They also dilate (open up) the veins and temporarily decrease the return of blood to the heart, and this eases the workload of the heart. Once enough blood returns to the heart muscle, angina symptoms stop. The heart's workload also becomes easier, since it can pump blood without as much resistance from narrow blood vessels.

I'm a 45-year-old woman and 30 lbs. overweight. If I were to make one change in my health behaviors, what do you suggest that I do or not do? I do not smoke. What is the relation of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)? The newspapers suggest that one is at higher risk of having a heart attack if one takes HRT.

Some risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), such as your sex, age, and family history, cannot be changed. Other risk factors for CAD that are related to lifestyle often can be changed. Your chance of developing coronary artery disease increases with the number of risk factors you have. Using birth control pills and you smoke and are over age 35, or you have a family history of atherosclerosis or blood-clotting disorders.

Since angina is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), the condition usually shows up in people ages 55 and older. But younger people can have CAD and angina attacks as well. Read Coronary Artery Disease for more. Your mother may find that anticipating and dealing with angina attacks limit her daily activities. Sometimes people with chronic angina avoid certain actions they think will trigger an attack.