Determining Angina Causes and Diagnostic Testing Possibilities
Angina is short for angina pectoris.
Angina is a common condition affect an estimated 6.
5 million American, and an undetermined number worldwide.
The condition itself can be easily overlook or ignored with some recognizing the symptoms and rightly seeking help, while others will wrongly just write it off as a digestive problem, or a natural part of the aging process.
For those that don't take this conditions seriously and promptly take steps to learn more about the possible angina causes and treatment options could find themselves laying in a hospital room or even worse.
But it may not be all that simple! After all people can experience angina in different ways, and sometimes no symptoms at all will be experienced.
This condition is known as silent angina.
Nevertheless, the good news is that the pattern is usually consistent for person to person and does exhibit certain classic symptoms.
I recently asked a close friend who has been plagued with angina pain for a couple of years now to describe to me what he was feeling.
His description was a general tightness in the chest, sometimes including dull pain, which tends to resonate from just under the sternum but goes away when he sits down or rests for a few minutes.
After doing a little research it seems that these symptoms are pretty much the status quo but a few other things could be added.
These would include chest pain that may radiate out into the back, shoulders, arms, and neck.
This pain can be particularly acute on the left side of the body.
Additionally, pain and discomfort may be accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.
Angina Causes The most common of the angina causes is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which is a buildup of fat deposits (plaque) in the coronary arteries.
Less common angina causes are a malfunction of the aortic valve or a problem with the heart itself.
While rare, it is not completely unheard of for a person to have multiple angina causes especially if they are starting to get up there in years.
The most common combination would be a weakening of the heart brought about by the natural aging process combined with atherosclerosis.
This is a serious combinations due to the fact that a coronary artery must be at least 75 percent blocked to trigger angina symptoms.
So when you combine a weak heart with a substantial amount of blockage the chances of a heart attack or stroke occurring are pretty high.
What can you expect when visiting your doctor for answers? In many cases, your doctor will be able to diagnose angina from your description of the attack.
While this may be the case he will likely want to run some test to confirm his preliminary diagnosis and determine the extent of the coronary artery disease and any damage that may have occurred to the heart.
Some of the more common tests are the exercise stress test, nuclear imaging dye test, ultrasound heart imaging, a cardiac catheterization test (inserting a thin tube through a blood vessel into the heart to locate artery blockages, and CT (computed tomography) scanning.
Once the angina causes have been confirmed one of a number of treatment options will be strongly suggested by your doctor ranging from diet and lifestyle modification to surgery and prescription medication/medications.
Angina is a common condition affect an estimated 6.
5 million American, and an undetermined number worldwide.
The condition itself can be easily overlook or ignored with some recognizing the symptoms and rightly seeking help, while others will wrongly just write it off as a digestive problem, or a natural part of the aging process.
For those that don't take this conditions seriously and promptly take steps to learn more about the possible angina causes and treatment options could find themselves laying in a hospital room or even worse.
But it may not be all that simple! After all people can experience angina in different ways, and sometimes no symptoms at all will be experienced.
This condition is known as silent angina.
Nevertheless, the good news is that the pattern is usually consistent for person to person and does exhibit certain classic symptoms.
I recently asked a close friend who has been plagued with angina pain for a couple of years now to describe to me what he was feeling.
His description was a general tightness in the chest, sometimes including dull pain, which tends to resonate from just under the sternum but goes away when he sits down or rests for a few minutes.
After doing a little research it seems that these symptoms are pretty much the status quo but a few other things could be added.
These would include chest pain that may radiate out into the back, shoulders, arms, and neck.
This pain can be particularly acute on the left side of the body.
Additionally, pain and discomfort may be accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.
Angina Causes The most common of the angina causes is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which is a buildup of fat deposits (plaque) in the coronary arteries.
Less common angina causes are a malfunction of the aortic valve or a problem with the heart itself.
While rare, it is not completely unheard of for a person to have multiple angina causes especially if they are starting to get up there in years.
The most common combination would be a weakening of the heart brought about by the natural aging process combined with atherosclerosis.
This is a serious combinations due to the fact that a coronary artery must be at least 75 percent blocked to trigger angina symptoms.
So when you combine a weak heart with a substantial amount of blockage the chances of a heart attack or stroke occurring are pretty high.
What can you expect when visiting your doctor for answers? In many cases, your doctor will be able to diagnose angina from your description of the attack.
While this may be the case he will likely want to run some test to confirm his preliminary diagnosis and determine the extent of the coronary artery disease and any damage that may have occurred to the heart.
Some of the more common tests are the exercise stress test, nuclear imaging dye test, ultrasound heart imaging, a cardiac catheterization test (inserting a thin tube through a blood vessel into the heart to locate artery blockages, and CT (computed tomography) scanning.
Once the angina causes have been confirmed one of a number of treatment options will be strongly suggested by your doctor ranging from diet and lifestyle modification to surgery and prescription medication/medications.
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