Top Health Tips on Living with Angina

At the wee hours, when you experience a discomfort in your chest you tend to fear it is a heart attack. Though it may not necessarily be what you think, what you as a heart attack, it may actually be an angina attack.

Knowing the difference between a heart attack and an angina attack takes you a step further in dealing with either of the attacks.

Let s get the basics right
Angina attack is a sign of coronary artery syndrome. Angina is characterized by pressure, squeezing tightness, heaviness, or pain in your chest. It can be a recurring ailment or an unexpected and acute health concern.

A heart attack is a condition which is a cause of concern. When parts of the heart do not receive oxygen-rich blood due to complete blockages of arteries, it results in a heart failure. It can prove to be fatal. The blockage of the arteries could be caused due to a blood clot or plaque formation.

The symptoms of angina and heart attack are similar. However, the two conditions are different from one another.

Angina can be regarded as a beginning of a weak heart condition. An angina attack is a short-term non-fatal disease, whereas a heart attack is a fatal condition.
Angina attack lasts for about ten minutes, while heart attack might last for more than twenty minutes.
The damage caused by a heart attack cannot be reversed, and this condition also cannot be cured. It can just be treated with medication and lifestyle changes. As time passes, the condition may become worse. Angina attack can, however, be treated with drugs. Untreated angina can lead to a poor heart condition and ultimately a heart attack.
Signs and Symptoms in detail

Heart attack
Heart attacks can commence gradually and begin with only mild pain or distress. Signs can be moderate or severe and sudden. Traits also may come and go over long hours. Individuals who have diabetes may have no indications or very mild ones.

The most common symptom, in both men and women, is discomfort or chest pain. Women are likely to have nausea, shortness of breath, and vomiting along with other symptoms. They also experience chronic tiredness which can extend even for days sometimes along with pain in the shoulders, back, and jaw.

Angina attack
The chest pain and discomfort prevalent with angina may be expressed as pressure, compressing, fullness or pain in the core of your chest. Some people with angina symptoms relate angina as feeling like a clamp is clutching their chest or feeling like a huge weight has been put on their chest. For others, it may feel like heartburn or gastric pain.Angina is typically triggered by emotional stress, extreme cold, and physical exertion.

Both angina and heart attack can give you a chest pain as both of them are two demonstrations in the continuum of the similar disease, so knowing the difference between the two stands vital in diagnosing the correct condition and more importantly get the appropriate treatment. With timely treatment, either of the attacks can be survived.

A sensation of pain in the chest is almost automatically associated with having a heart attack. While it is true that it is one of the best indicators of a heart attack, there are quite a few other things which can cause one s chest to pain and not all need to necessarily be as time critical as a heart attack. So, what are the various things one should be aware of when it comes to pain in the chest? In order to understand chest pain better, it is first very important to understand the various types of chest pain better! So, there is a sharp pain, its opposite which happens to be a dull pain, burning, aching, stabbing pain, as well as a crushing sensation.

Let s start with the elephant in the room, which is medically known as myocardial infarction or referred to as the infamous heart attack. This occurs when the muscle cells, which are located in the heart die on account of not enough blood flowing through the heart. In simple terms, the best way to get to know that one is having a heart attack is when the person feels a seriously crushing pain in the centre or the left side of the chest. What could be said to be unique about this type of pain is that resting does not make it better.

Another condition of the heart which is often mistaken by the layman for a heart attack happens to be myocarditis. Inflammation of the heart muscle leads to fatigue and a fast beating of the heart. The person would also experience some difficulty breathing.
Heart disease can come in multiple forms and one of those is known as CAD or Coronary Artery Disease. When there is a blockage in the blood vessels of the heart, the pain [which is known as angina] is caused by this blockage. The probably solitary source of good news is that permanent damage to the heart is not caused by CAD!
That being said, a heart attack is a greater possibility. The pain in the chest could spread to the jaw or the back, or even the arm. The sensation is that of the body part being squeezed. The first thing to be done when angina occurs is to rest in order to lower the pain.
While these conditions have focused on the heart, pneumonia affecting the lungs can cause deep chest ache. It causes a cough and chills. There is also likely to be pus from the respiratory tract which is coughed up!
Asthma is yet another respiratory issue which could cause chest pain!

The results of a study conducted by the Department of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Korea, show that multivessel coronary stenting can be performed with a high success rate along with an acceptable clinical outcome. Coronary stenting has proven itself to be an accepted means for treating of obstructed coronary arteries. The need for multivessel coronary stenting has been inflated because of the larger number of patients with unfavourable cardiac profiles. Conventionally, bypass surgery is regarded as a standard means for relieving angina in cardiac patients with multivessel coronary disease as it could lead to a downright revascularization. Further, it also allows a prolongation of lifespan in a specified subgroup of patients.

How are they performed: Despite the coming of modern generation of stents, patients with multiple stringent arteries in the heart receiving coronary after bypass have recovered better than those whose arteries were grafted with balloon angioplasty or stenting. This report is presented in the 64th Annual Scientific Session in the American College of Cardiology. This report echoes past studies which shows that patients afflicted with multiple narrowed arteries receive better results with coronary artery bypass grafting, which is also known as CABG or bypass heart surgery. In case of multivessel stenting, which is known as angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI, a stent is put within the arteries to hold it wide open and facilitate the flow of blood.

Which one is better: In a new study, it is reported that patients with new stents are susceptible to 47% higher risk of any of the outcomes like death or cardiac arrest as compared to patients who undergo bypass surgery. In CABG, a vein or artery from other parts of the body is grafted on the constricted coronary artery for allowing easy blood flow to and from heart. This study reinforces present regulations that recommend CABG to treat patients with substantial constrictions in various arteries, a condition often termed as multivessel coronary artery ailment.

Renowned cardiologist Seung Jung Park from Asan Medical Centre in Seoul, South Korea opines that CABG is still a much preferred option on the basis of their medical data. Another study known as Bypass Surgery Versus Everolimus - Eluting Stent Implantation for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease or BEST trial deserves mention. It is one of the two randomly controlled trials for comparing bypass to angioplasty since the introduction of modernised stents that emits medication, which would prevent blood clot.

This study was implemented on 880 patients at 27 healthcare centres in four countries. Each patient had multivessel coronary artery disease and were determined to be equally eligible to go through either of the methods. Half of these patients were randomly chosen to be given angioplasty with everolimus-eluting stents, and the other half received bypass surgery.

All the patients were tracked for about five years and during this prolonged follow up, angioplasty was related to a considerable upsurge in the incidence of myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization and often death. Because, it is a more invasive process, bypass surgery is normally recommended only for patients afflicted with higher-risk constrictions in more than one artery.

If you are one of these patients and this concern plagues you, it is recommended to talk to your cardiologist without much delay.

In addition to pumping blood to various organs, the heart also has its own blood supply, through which it receives its oxygen and nutrient supply. In patients with coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis, there is a narrowing of the blood vessels which reduces the amount of blood flow to the target organs, including the heart.

When this happens in the heart, there is chest pain due to overexertion of the heart muscles. There could be two patterns to this chest pain. With regular exertion like exercise, there would be chest pain, and most patients are familiar with this pattern.

This is known as angina pectoris or stable angina. In some people or in some instances, chest pain occurs which is sudden and not of a predictable pattern. It could be related to extreme exertion or stress. This is known as unstable angina and can lead to heart attack and be life-threatening.

Stable angina or angina pectoris has a stable, predictable pattern which most patients get familiar with over a period of time and learn to manage. Read on to know more about the signs and symptoms and management techniques.

Signs and symptoms: Stable angina usually occurs after a round of physical exertion. The patient feels a feeling of tightness in the chest which feels like the chest being squeezed. The pain can gradually spread to the shoulder, arms and even the neck. The pain can also be induced by eating, exposure to cold, emotional stress. It lasts for about 15 minutes and is relieved by rest and sublingual nitroglycerin. The pain intensity does not change with position or coughing. In addition, the patient may also experience shortness of breath, fatigue, profuse sweating, nausea, and dizziness.
The patient may be able to detect signs on further testing including ECG, echocardiography and stress testing. Features like cardiomegaly, altered ejection fraction would be detected based on the severity of the disease.

Treatment: Immediate treatment to relieve the pain includes resting and sublingual nitroglycerin. On an ongoing basis, the treatment would include 3 approaches lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery.

Lifestyle changes: Regular exercise, smoking cessation, reduced fat intake, reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss, and stress management are some lifestyle changes to be made to improve symptoms.
Medications: A number of medications would be used depending on patient s symptoms. Aspirin to prevent clotting, medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol and diabetes.
Surgery: In patients with advanced coronary artery disease, revascularization methods may be required, which includes angioplasty and coronary bypass.
In a person with known risk factors, it is advisable to have regular checkups so that the disease progression can be controlled and symptoms managed with minimal intervention.

Homeopathy is a method of treatment, which is based on the fact that symptoms of a certain disease, if induced in small quantities, may help cure the same disease in a sick person. Cardiological disorders are complications of the heart; they can range from various disorders, such as heart attack or irregular heartbeats.

Homeopathic remedies are based on naturally occurring substances and are given to the patients in a diluted form. These remedies trigger the symptoms in small quantities and heal the body.

The various homeopathic treatments for cardiological disorders are:

Latrodectus: This treatment is used to treat symptoms of precordial pain in the body.
Aurum metallicum: Aurum metallicum is used in treating symptoms of weakness in the muscles of the heart.
Aconitum:This treatment is used when a person is having a heart attack.
Spigelia: Spigelia is used in the treatment of irregular heartbeats which may cause sharp pain in the chest.
Cactus grandiflorus: This treatment is used in treating angina pectoris, which is characterized by symptoms of pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart.
Crataegus oxyacantha: This homeopathic treatment is used in treating coronary insufficiency in people. This disorder cause problems in heartbeat.
Digitalis: This homeopathic treatment is used in treating cardiac muscle failure. This disorder causes palpitation, tightness in the heart muscles and a suffocating sensation.
Kalmia latifolia: This treatment is effective in treating cardiac hypertrophy, which causes the heart muscle to thicken, resulting in size reduction of the ventricles. This treatment is very effective in treating cardiac hypertrophy that results after rheumatism.
Glonoinum: This homeopathic treatment is prescribed to treat symptoms of plaque buildup in the artery, which cause hypertension.

Ways to identify and treat Angina pain

Angina or angina pectoris is the pain, discomfort or tightness in the chest that occurs when the blood flow to the heart muscle cells is not enough to meet its energy needs. It is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of the coronary heart disease.

What are the different types of angina?

1. Stable angina: It is the commonest form of angina. It can be triggered by stress or physical activity and usually only lasts a few minutes.

2. Unstable angina: It happens when you're resting or aren't very active. The pain is strong and long lasting, and may keep recurring. It may be a signal of an impending heart attack.

3. Variant angina: This might take place when you're asleep or at rest. This sudden tightening or narrowing of the heart's arteries causes a lot of pain.

How u know what your are experiencing is an angina pain?

You might be having angina pain if you suffer from one or more of these symptoms:

- Chest pain
- Heartburn
- Breathlessness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Pain in your arm, neck, jaw and back
- Numbness or loss of feeling in your arms, shoulders or wrists

Immediate Relief from Angina

If previously advised by a certified doctor, patients can take antiplatelet medicines which are blood thinners and prevent unstable angina. Final treatments include angioplasty (repair of a blocked blood vessel through surgery), insertion of a coronary artery stent (a tube that is used to treat weakened arteries) or a heart bypass surgery for serious complications.

Odontalgia or severe toothache is characterized by extreme pain or inflammation of the tooth and its surrounding areas. The excruciating pain that you might experience may stem as a result of gum infection, tooth decay, infection of the dental pulp, abscess and due to certain other reasons like extraction or filling of the teeth. Another key reason for extreme toothache is the fact that a number of heart problems, such as myocardial infarction and angina tend to affect your dental health negatively.

While some toothaches might occur sporadically, they might pose a danger against your overall well-being in the long run, if the condition is left untreated. Homeopathy can serve as the perfect antidote to your toothache problems and its effects are noted to be significantly higher when it comes down to the question of long-term consumption. Here is a list of homeopathic medications that might prove to be a pain alleviator for your dental complications:

Hepar Sulph and Silicea: Root abscess responds positively, to both Hepar Sulph and Silicea. For fever accompanied with occasional chills due to severe toothache, Hepar Sulph is considered to be the perfect remedy and tends to significantly decrease the level of swelling and pain. On the other hand, if your face swells and there is an incidence of gum inflammation, Silicea must be used to numb the effects of root abscess.
Plantago: Plantago is noted to be the most commonly prescribed medicine for toothaches and for treating sensitivity. The pain extending to the ears from the teeth receives maximum relief due to the effects of Plantago. It might have to be taken internally or applied externally depending on the severity of the toothache and its accompanying conditions.
Staphysagria: Sensitivity is best taken care of by Staphysagria and resolves the problem of worsening of toothache, when any drink or food is consumed. Bleeding gums and excess salivation is also another aspect that is looked after by Staphysagria.
Arnica: Tooth extraction and filling may often lead to the consequence of nerve-wrecking pain in the gums and the affected area. For this, Arnica is prescribed to assuage the nerve pain and must be taken in along with Hypericum, another homeopathy medicine, for best results.
Merc Sol: Problems of halitosis and excessive salivation that tend to occur simultaneously with toothaches can be solved by a dosage of Merc Sol. Bleeding gums, looseness of teeth and sensitivity are all taken care of by the same medication.
Hecla Lava: For jaw swells along with toothache, you must always opt for Hecla Lava. The effect is instantaneous and relieves both swelling and pain.
Chamomilla: Chamomilla serves as the best remedial homeopathic medicine for easing heat sensitivity that is likely to worsen the existing toothache. Drinks and food, either hot or cold, can then be consumed easily because of the numbing effect of this medicine.

Angina or angina pectoris is the pain, discomfort or tightness in the chest that occurs when the blood flow to the heart muscle cells is not enough to meet its energy needs. It is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of the coronary heart disease.

What are the different types of angina?

1. Stable angina: It is the commonest form of angina. It can be triggered by stress or physical activity and usually only lasts a few minutes.
2. Unstable angina: It happens when you're resting or aren't very active. The pain is strong and long lasting, and may keep recurring. It may be a signal of an impending heart attack.
3. Variant angina: This might take place when you're asleep or at rest. This sudden tightening or narrowing of the heart's arteries causes a lot of pain.

What are the symptoms of Angina pain?

You might be having angina pain if you suffer from one or more of these symptoms:

- Chest pain
- Heartburn
- Breathlessness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Pain in your arm, neck, jaw and back
- Numbness or loss of feeling in your arms, shoulders or wrists

Immediate Relief from Angina

If previously advised by a certified doctor, patients can take antiplatelet medicines which are blood thinners and prevent unstable angina. Final treatments include angioplasty (repair of a blocked blood vessel through surgery), insertion of a coronary artery stent (a tube that is used to treat weakened arteries) or a heart bypass surgery for serious complications.

Ways to identify and treat Angina pain

Angina or angina pectoris is the pain, discomfort or tightness in the chest that occurs when the blood flow to the heart muscle cells is not enough to meet its energy needs. It is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of the coronary heart disease.

What are the different types of angina?

1. Stable angina: It is the commonest form of angina. It can be triggered by stress or physical activity and usually only lasts a few minutes.

2. Unstable angina: It happens when you're resting or aren't very active. The pain is strong and long lasting, and may keep recurring. It may be a signal of an impending heart attack.

3. Variant angina: This might take place when you're asleep or at rest. This sudden tightening or narrowing of the heart's arteries causes a lot of pain.

How u know what your are experiencing is an angina pain?

You might be having angina pain if you suffer from one or more of these symptoms:

- Chest pain
- Heartburn
- Breathlessness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Pain in your arm, neck, jaw and back
- Numbness or loss of feeling in your arms, shoulders or wrists

Immediate Relief from Angina

If previously advised by a certified doctor, patients can take antiplatelet medicines which are blood thinners and prevent unstable angina. Final treatments include angioplasty (repair of a blocked blood vessel through surgery), insertion of a coronary artery stent (a tube that is used to treat weakened arteries) or a heart bypass surgery for serious complications.

Here are causes, symptoms, treatment of angina and Heart attack

Mai Dr Pramod Kumar Sharma, Max Smart Saket City hospital me Senior Cardiac surgeon ki pad par hu. Merese bahut saare patient aate hai aur baar baar yahi poochte hai ki doctor saab ye angina pain kya hota hai? Heart attack hota kyun hai? Unka jawaab dene ke liye, unko ye samjhata hoon ki angina jo hota hai ki jab dil ke andar jab khoon ki supply kam ho jati hai aur, dil jo hai it s like a pump. Pump ke andar aapko chalane ke liye energy chahiye, energy aati hai usko apni supply mine se. Jab vo apni supply dheere dheere khoon ke naliya sikudne ki wajah se kam ho jaati hai toh patient ko angina shuru ho jaata hai. Aur agar suddenly wo nali band ho jati hai to patient ko heart attack ho jata hai.

Ab sawal ye uthta hai ki ye hota kyun hai? Angina ya heart attack dono ek hi beemari ke do roop hai. Dono ke kaaran ek hi hai. Pehla kaaran jo hota hai wo hota ki jisko hum bolte hai non-modifiable factor. Non-modifiable factor hai isko hum bolte hai ki patient ko vanshanugak problem hai. Matlab uske pitaji ki taraf ya mataji ki taraf kisi ko bhi family me agar ye problem rahi hai heart attack ki, angina ki toh usko jo aage santaan aati hai unko hone ke kafi kafi chances rehe hai. Dusra hota hai modifiable factor. Modifiable factor me bahut saare factor hai jaise ki patient agar diabetes hai usko control nahi kar rahe hai properly, patient ko blood pressure hai usko properly control nahi kar hai, patient ko cholesterol bahut jaada rehta hai, hyperlipidaemia jisko bolte hai usko properly control nahi kar rahe hai ye jo factor hote hai iske alava jin do cheezo pe mai bahut jyada mai stress dena chahunga aur samjhana chahunga jo ki bahut aasani se aap bacha bhi sakte ho aur bahut dangerous hai.

Ek sabse badi problem hai smoking ki, smoking ek itni katarnaak cheez hai jo ki aam taur par logbagh samajhte hai ki smoking se cancer hi hota hai. Smoking se cancer to hota hi ye har aadmi jante hai, par har aadmi ye nahi jante hai ki smoking se khoon ki naliya sukad jati hai, khoon gaadha ho jata hai aur khoon ka bahaav kam ho jata hai. Uski wajah se patient ko jo stroke bhi ho sakta hai, jisko hum bolte hai brain attack ya heart attack bhi ho sakta hai. Jisko hum normal bahasha me hum bolte hi hai har log jante hi heart attack kya hota hai. To ye do cheeze hai agar aap smoking karte hai to aap ko bahut jayada chances hai ki heart attack ya brain attack hone ke chances bad jate hai.

Dusra mai bolunga ki humara jo life style hai, life style modification ka bahut bada role hai, heart attack ya angina ko prevention ke liye. To life style hum log ka bahut change hogaya hai. Aaj kal logbagh raat der tak jagte rete hai. Proper need nahi le paate hai, proper relaxation nahi ho paata hai, mind ka relaxation nahi hota, tension bada rehta hai. Yeh sab cheeze aaj kal itni jyada ho gayi hai ki jiski wajah se aap dekh rahe hai ki din pratidin heart attack aur angina ki problems badti jaa rahi hai.

Agar aap ko is baare me koi consultation karna hai to lybrate is a very good forum. You can interaction with the lybrate people, you can have my advice on internet by posting your questions.