Angina Pectoris is retrosternal pain; i.e. pains that are most often localized to the central part of the chest cage. The pain may radiate to the jaw and arms, and is normally provoked by physical excercise, or after meals, following sexual activity, or exposure to cold weather, and is in most cases abated by rest.
Angina pectoris is the result of inadequate blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle, caused by reduced perfusion of the coronary arteries of the heart. In most cases the reduced perfusion is caused by atherosclerosis, which is why angina pectoris is often associated with thrombosis and impaired cardiac function. People who suffer from angina pectoris have occasional attacks of varying frequency, and the intensity of the pain is extremely restrictive to their level of physical activity. Often the convulsive twinge in the region of the heart is associated with shortness of breath, and a feeling of being drained of strenght, together with nausea, irregular pulse, and cold sweat.
In many cases, angina pectoris is a warning signal of increasing occlusion of the coronary arteries of the heart, and in the worst cases, a blood clot or thrombosis is formed in one or more of the sclerotic coronary arteries that seal off the vessel and block the flow of blood to the heart mucle (acute myocardial infarction). Angina pectoris can be caused by bad eating habits; following a diet with a high relience on animal fats has a strongly promotive effect on atherosclerosis.
Many who experience their first attack of angina pectoris are afraid that they are having a heart attack (Coronary thrombosis). The reason for this confusion is that the two conditions have the following in common:
- Can be caused by the formation of a sticky plaque on the inside of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis). The plaque occludes the vessels and blocks the flow of blood to the heart, which results in chest pains that may radiate to involve both the arms, the shoulders and/or the neck.
- Can follow from intense physical activity.
- Most often affects men in their fifties or older, and postmenopausal women.
But their are also differences between the two conditions, and these are worth noticing:
- A Coronary thrombosis results in cardial tissue damage, the formation of an infarction. Angina pectoris does not have this effect.
- In the case of Angina Pectoris, rest or sublingual administration of nitroglycerine effectively relieves the condition; such an intervention has no effect on coronary thrombosis.
Factors that contribute to the etiology of angina pectoris include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, increased cholesterol level, and a genetic disposition to atherosclerosis and cardio-vascular disease.
