🧭 What Is Angina?
Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow (ischemia) to the heart muscle.
👉 It is often a warning sign of underlying heart disease, especially coronary artery disease.
⚠️ Key Idea
- The heart is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood
- This causes pain or pressure in the chest
🧠 Symptoms of Angina
🫀 Chest Symptoms
- Tightness or pressure in the chest
- Squeezing or burning feeling
- Often mistaken for indigestion
📍 Radiating Pain
Pain may spread to:
- Arms
- Neck
- Jaw
- Back
- Shoulders
🧠 Other Symptoms
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness
🔄 Types of Angina
🟢 Stable Angina
- Predictable
- Triggered by activity or stress
- Improves with rest or medication
🔴 Unstable Angina
- Unpredictable
- Can occur at rest
-
Does NOT improve easily
⚠️ Medical emergency
🧬 Causes
❤️ Coronary Artery Disease (Most Common)
- Plaque builds up in arteries
- Narrows blood flow to heart
🧠 Other Causes
- Coronary microvascular disease (small vessels)
- Artery spasms (temporary tightening)
⚡ Triggers
Angina can be triggered by:
- Physical activity
- Emotional stress
- Cold temperatures
- Heavy meals
⚠️ Risk Factors
🚬 Lifestyle
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Poor diet
🏥 Medical Conditions
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obesity
👤 Other Factors
- Older age
- Family history of heart disease
🛠️ Treatment
💊 Medication
- Nitroglycerin (fast relief)
- Beta-blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Blood thinners
🏥 Medical Procedures
- Angioplasty + stent placement
- Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)
🌱 Lifestyle Changes
- Stop smoking
- Healthy diet (e.g. Mediterranean diet)
- Regular exercise
- Stress management
🛡️ Prevention
- Control blood pressure
- Manage cholesterol
- Manage diabetes
- Maintain healthy weight
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid heavy strain in extreme conditions
🚨 When to Seek Emergency Help
Seek urgent medical help if:
- Chest pain is new, severe, or worsening
- Pain does not go away with rest
- Symptoms feel different from usual
⚠️ This may indicate a heart attack
📊 Key Takeaways
✔ Angina is chest pain from reduced heart blood flow
✔ It is often a warning sign of heart disease
✔ Can be stable or unstable (emergency)
✔ Treatment includes medication, procedures, and lifestyle changes
⚠️ Important Note
This information is for educational purposes only.
Always seek medical advice for chest pain or heart symptoms.
🧠 Teaching Tip
To support learners:
- Use a diagram of blocked coronary arteries
- Compare stable vs unstable angina
- Include a “chest pain emergency checklist”
- Link to heart health lifestyle education
No comments:
Post a Comment