Posts Tagged ‘angina pectoris’

Coronary Artery Disease

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Coronary artery disease is a result of plaque buildup within the artery walls.

A gradual build-up of fat (cholesterol) in the coronary ateries causes them to become blocked or narrowed. This build-up is called “atherosclerotic plaque” or simply “plaque.”  When this occurs, the arteries cannot deliver sufficient blood to the heart.  This condition is referred to as coronary artery disease (CAD).

What are the warning signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease?
Angina pectoris (also referred to as chest pain) is a warning sign of coronary artery disease. Do not ignore this symptom, as it is often a sign of an impending heart attack. If you or someone you know is experiencing angina, call
9-1-1 at once to get to an emergency room immediately.

It is important to understand that men and women experience angina differently. These differences are described below:
Men typically experience the following common warning signs of a heart attack: severe to moderate chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, radiating pain in the arms and chest.

Women may have symptoms that differ greatly from men. While chest pain is often a key warning sign of a heart attack, some women who have a heart attack do not experience chest pain. A woman’s pain may be in the back, arm, neck, shoulder, and/or throat. Also, women will typically have more “non-pain” symptoms than men. These include vomiting, nausea, fatigue and shortness of breath.

It is also surprisingly common for people to experience no symptoms at all. Additionally, some people experience persistent flu-like symptoms. This is especially true of diabetics and those over the age of 75. We recommend that these individuals visit their family physician and/or cardiologist on a regular basis to continually monitor their health.

How is coronary artery disease detected?
Usually doctors suspect that you have cardiovascular disease based on your cardiovascular risk factors. During a physical exam, your doctor will evaluate many of these risks, which include diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, previous family history, history of smoking, etc…

We invite you to take our free online cardiovascular risk assessment at any time to evaluate your cardiovascular health. It only takes about ten minutes, and your results are generated immediately. Please print and bring these results to your next physician visit.

In addition to evaluating your risk factors, noninvasive imaging techniques are available to detect coronary artery disease at its earliest stage. Young or old, it is extremely important to be aware of coronary artery disease. It is a progressive disease that can lead to death or heart failure. There are many treatment options which can slow the progression or, in some cases, reverse the effects of the disease.

The non-invasive and catheterization techniques available to detect coronary artery disease are listed below:
• Electrocardiography (EKG)
• Treadmill
• Stress Testing
• Echocardiography (Ultrasound)
• Nuclear Studies
• Computer Tomography (CT)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization

What are the treatment options for coronary artery disease?
The safest, simplest treatment for coronary artery disease is lifestyle change. Evaluate your modifiable cardiovascular risks–high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, exercise, diet, weight, etc.–and work to reduce the damaging effects of each risk factor. If you smoke, stop smoking; if you do not exercise, develop an exercise regimen; if you have high blood pressure, devise a plan with your physician to reduce your blood pressure level; and so on.

As coronary artery disease progresses, medications, interventional catheterizations, or cardiovascular surgery may be required. Your doctor will work with you to devise a plan that is best suited for you.

Medications
Thousands of medications are available to treat coronary artery disease. The most common medications prescribed are blood pressure lowering medications, cholesterol lowering drugs, and anticoagulants (blood thinning) medications.

Procedures
To rid the arteries of atherosclerosis (plaque buildup), which prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching the heart muscle, it is often necessary to treat plaque with invasive surgical techniques. Depending upon the degree of coronary artery disease, plaque build-up can be treated with catheter interventions or with surgery. These procedures are:
• Balloon Angioplasty
• Coronary Stenting
• Brachytherapy
• Drug-Eluting Stenting
• Intracoronary Ultrasound
• Atherectomy

If needed, your doctor may refer you to a cardiovascular surgeon for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). This is more invasive than any of the procedures listed above, but it is extremely safe and reliable.

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Angina Pectoris

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Angina Pectoris, more commonly known as chest pain, is a sign that the heart needs more oxygen.

Angina can be caused by an insufficient supply of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. The body responds to this oxygen deprivation with pain (many people refer to the pain as tightness or pressure) in the chest, arms, shoulders, neck and/or jaw. Some people also experience shortness of breath, fatigue, sweating, dizziness and/or vomiting. It is most frequently caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries. The narrowing is due to buildup of fatty deposits (plaque or Atherosclerosis) within the artery walls.

Remember, you may not have chest pain as your heart disease equivalent. If you have symptoms that are not readily explained, always think about heart disease. It is the number one disease that affects Americans.  Do not ignore your warning signs, as they may be an indicator of an impending cardiac event. Angina usually lasts several minutes. If your angina lasts more than 5 minutes, don’t delay in getting help. Dial 9-1-1 right away. Do not drive yourself to the hospital.

There are two types of angina:
Stable angina typically occurs when you exercise or feel stress, so it is somewhat predictable, and it feels the same way each time. Stable angina usually disappears when you rest and/or take your medication.

Unstable angina is less predictable and may occur even when you rest. It can occur more frequently, feel more severe, and/or last longer than stable angina. Your doctor may be more concerned about unstable angina, since it can mean there is a blocked artery in your heart. In some people, unstable angina can be a sign of a heart attack.

What is the cause?
Angina is most often caused by plaque buildup in the coronary arteries (heart arteries). Plaque is made up of fatty substances, like cholesterol, in your blood. The plaque builds up slowly, over a number of years. In time, plaque can harden and narrow the coronary arteries. Eventually the plaque can slow or block blood flow to the heart, cut off the oxygen supply, and cause angina.

Atherosclerosis is the general medical term for plaque buildup that clogs arteries. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the medical term for atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries in particular. Angina, therefore, often results from atherosclerosis and from CAD.

Of course, chest pain is not always caused by reduced oxygen supply to the heart. Sometimes, chest pain is not related to heart vessel blockages at all. It could instead be related to valvular heart disease, other structural heart disease, or a lung condition.

How is chest pain evaluated?
If you have angina, your doctor may suggest one or more tests to find out the underlying cause. The test results can also help your doctor choose the best treatment(s) for you.

What are the treatment options for angina?
There are a variety of treatment options for angina which are targeted according to the cause of the pain. They include:

  • Procedure(s) that open narrowed arteries (for example, Angioplasty) and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
  • Medication(s) (such as Nitroglycerin, Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers) and ACE Inhibitors
  • Lifestyle changes to reduce your risk factors (e.g. smoking cessation, exercise, diet, etc).

Changing your lifestyle to reduce your risk factors is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your overall cardiovascular condition.

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