Angina Pectoris is the medical term for chest pain. Angina Pectoris, or chest pain results when there is diminished blood flow to the heart. The most common reason for diminished blood flow is due to the buildup of cholesterol on the inside of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries supply the heart with oxygenated blood. Thus if there is a block, the heart doesn’t get adequate oxygen to feed the myocyte (heart) cells. There are three different types of Angina Pectoris; stable, unstable, and prinzmetal’s angina. Stable angina can be described as it sounds, stable. It is predictable chest pain that occurs when a person is usually doing something physical that increases the requirement of blood and oxygen of the heart. The top three instances in which individuals may experience chest pain include: arguments, sex, and physical activity such as climbing stairs. These three events increase the oxygen and blood demand of the heart and if there is a blockage the heart will not receive enough blood to meet those demands. Thus the individual will experience chest pain. The important thing to note about stable angina is that when the activity stops, usually so does the chest pain. The reason the chest pain stops in stable angina after the activity stops is because the increased oxygen and blood demands of the heart have also stopped.

Causes The most common cause of chest pain is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is defined as the hardening and blockage of the coronary arteries. This occurs when an individual’s cholesterol levels are elevated over a long period of time and cholesterol continues to build up on the inside walls of the arteries. Cholesterol deposits blocked blood flow to the heart and then to the rest of the body. This build up within the coronary arteries is known as atherosclerosis. As the cholesterol builds and builds, it begins to block more and more blood flow thus increasing the oxygen and blood demand of the heart. When the oxygen and blood demand of the heart is increased and there is blockages within the arteries, the result is chest pain otherwise known as angina pectoris. Recommended Read:  5 Cholesterol Friendly Soup Recipes Symptoms For all the above different types of angina there are some commonalities in terms of the symptoms. Angina can be chest pain, chest tightness, chest heaviness, or chest discomfort. In many cases the quality of the pain is described as pressure, burning, tightness, fullness or squeezing. Often the pain is not only localized centrally and sub-sternal, but also radiates to either arm, neck, mandible (lower jaw), upper back or shoulder.

Risk Factors There are many risk factors that contribute to coronary artery disease and result in angina. As discussed above, the most common reason individuals develop coronary artery disease and subsequently chest pain is high blood cholesterol . Other risk factors include: tobacco use (smoking, chewing, long-term exposure to second-hand smoke), diabetes, hypertension, high triglyceride levels, men greater than the age of 45, women greater than the age of 55, family history of heart disease, obesity, stress and Inactivity or lack of exercise. All of these risk factors point to the buildup of cholesterol within the coronary arteries and contribute to the development of coronary artery disease. Advanced coronary artery disease becomes a life-threatening medical condition when there is greater than or equal to 70% blockage of the artery. This means that even at rest only 30% of blood is able to freely move through the artery. When an individual becomes active, or even at rest with these other risk factors, the lumen of the artery can constrict resulting in complete obstruction of the coronary artery. When there is complete obstruction of the coronary artery, then there is not any blood supply to that specific area of the heart. The difference between Angina “chest pain” and Infarction “heart attack, is that in angina the ischemia is reversible as long as the lumen blockage is removed, but in infarction the heart cells in that region die.

The treatment for Angina Pectoris aims to treat the underlying condition that causes this chest pain. In most cases that underlying medical condition is coronary artery disease. Therefore, it is essential to begin by changing one’s lifestyle to become healthier. Lifestyle changes include: smoking cessation, exercise, and weight loss . Increasing consumption of healthy foods such as lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while decreasing fatty and processed foods can help reduce cholesterol levels. Physical activity goals should be at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least 5 days per week. Recommended Read:  5 Bold Recipes to Aid Weight Loss Maintaining regular visits with your medical provider will be needed to track progress and treat long-term chronic diseases that contribute to atherosclerosis. Medical conditions that contribute to atherosclerosis development include: Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Hypertension, Hypertriglyceridemia and Hypercholesterolemia.Medications can also be beneficial in long-term management of coronary artery disease. Acutely, when a patient experiences chest pains the first medication management is Nitrates. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator and allows for increased blood flow to the heart. These Nitrates reduce the oxygen demand of the heart thereby alleviating chest pain in many cases. Recommended Read:  5 Chickpea Recipes To Make Your Heart Happy Other medications that are imperative when a patient is experiencing chest pain is aspirin.