What Is Angina?

You have chest pain periodically. Your cardiologist, Dr. Daljit Muttiana, recognizes it as angina. He wants you to know about this serious cardiac condition and how you can manage your symptoms. At Cardiovascular Institute in Tomball, TX, our dedicated team helps many people with angina lead fuller, healthier lives.

The details on angina

Angina, or ischemic chest pain, is a collection of heart symptoms related to coronary artery disease, or CVD. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that men over 45 and women over 55 may develop CVD and angina.

What does angina look and feel like? It is chest pain that radiates to the neck, shoulders, jaw, and back. People describe it as a heaviness or squeezing sensation. Physicians, such as Dr. Muttiana, know that the heart hurts when it does not receive adequate blood supply.

With CVD, coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle are blocked with fatty plaque. Some may be completely occluded. In any case, angina alerts the cardiologist at Cardiovascular Institute in Tomball, TX, to further investigation.

Kinds of angina

The AHA outlines four basic kinds of angina. Dr. Muttiana will pinpoint your particular kind to prescribe the right course of treatment. Types of angina include:

• Stable, with pain which is episodic but predictable in severity, location, and duration
• Unstable, with pain which is sudden, severe, and long-lasting
• Variant or Prinzmetal, which is spasmodic, severe and often occurring while resting in bed
• Microvascular, extreme chest discomfort which is long-lasting and related to exertion and stress

Diagnosis and treatment

Dr. Muttiana will review your symptoms and medical history. He may order chest X-rays and blood work along with an EKG to investigate your heart rhythm. More advanced testing, such as cardiac catheterization or angiography, is likely, too.

To treat your symptoms, you may require a cardiac procedure to increase circulation to the heart. Rehab will strengthen the cardiac muscle after a heart attack, and medications manage pain and increase blood flow.

Finally, lifestyle changes comprise a large part of any cardiac treatment plan, including managing angina. Your changes may include:

• A program of exercise
• Medications
• Weight loss
• A heart-healthy diet high in fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
• Managing diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension
• Quitting all tobacco products

Find out more

At Cardiovascular Institute in Tomball, TX, Dr. Daljit Muttiana and his staff help scores of patients with angina and its causes. Let him help you manage this serious condition for a healthier heart and longer life. Phone us at (281) 357-5700.