When it comes to the question ‘what is angina’, there is a lot of background that has to be gotten clearly before you jump into the main question.
Literally speaking, the word ‘angina’ means ‘choking pain’. Angina pectoris will refer to an uncomfortable sensation that will occur in the chest when a small part of the heart will become deprived of adequate amounts of oxygen owing to diseases of the coronary arteries. these are the arteries that are responsible for the supply of blood to the heart.
The coronary arteries are what supply the heart with nutrients and oxygen. Ideally the word ‘coronary’ means ‘crown’ and that is why these arteries that surround the heart almost like a crown are given the name.
Coronary Artery Disease:
Coronary artery disease or CAD is the most common form of all the heart diseases. when CAD develops, it would mean that one of the arteries that lead to their heart has become narrower owing to the building up of cholesterol and such substances within the inner walls of the artery. this will subsequently affect the flow of blood to the person’s heart muscle. Without adequate amount of blood not being supplied to the heart, the tissues of the heart muscle could undergo damage.
The cholesterol and other fatty substances would end up causing for a buildup in the arteries and they will end up eventually getting coated with scar tissue. this would give rise to what we call plaque. this will harden the blood vessel; and this entire process is known by the name atherosclerosis.
When the blood flow gets impaired to a severe extent, it might cause for chest pain in the person in question. this would become even more evident when the person is exercising.
What is Angina?
This is the part where we finally get to our main question – what is angina? Angina is what occurs when the body tries to give us a warning sign that it is being overworked. It will manifest itself in various ways.
- It will be a feeling of pressure, pain or tightness that occurs in the middle region of the chest; and will be felt mainly at the point that lies behind the breastbone (sternum).
- The sensation will move from the left shoulder to your arm, to your hand; or it will move from neck to your throat and finally hit your jaw.
- The attack of angina will ideally last only a few minutes.
The main distinguishing factor between an angina attack and a heart attack is that the angina attack will not cause for any permanent damage; whereas the same can’t be said of a heart attack. the heart muscle will definitely suffer some sort of permanent damage.
Stable v/s Unstable Angina:
Stable Angina:This will result from a fixed sort of obstruction that hampers the flow of blood to the heart. this would mean that a fast-pumping heart will not find enough blood for it to work. However, there will be blood for it when the heart slows down; i.e. when the person is at rest.
The stable form of angina will generally be caused due to irregular diseases affecting the coronary arteries. the blockages thus formed will not hinder the flow of blood; and they will generally not damage the heart, unless and until there is a plaque rupture.
Unstable Angina:This will generally be caused by a sudden interruption of the blood flow; and this will generally occur when there is a partial or complete blockage of the coronary arteries. Unstable angina is different from its stable counterpart, in that, it can be brought on when the person is sleeping, resting or indulging in physical exertion.
Unstable angina is known to be a little more dangerous than stable angina.
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