Index
Let’s see what Unstable Angina is and learn to detect it in time.
It is a condition in which the heart does not receive enough irrigation of blood and oxygen. This leads to a heart attack. Angina is a type of discomfort in the chest caused by a lack of blood flow through the blood vessels (coronary arteries) of the heart muscle (myocardium).
Causes
Coronary artery disease due to atherosclerosis is the most common cause of Unstable Angina. Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of fats along the walls of the arteries. This makes the arteries narrow and less flexible. The narrowing can reduce blood flow to the heart, causing chest pains.
People with unstable angina are at higher risk of having a heart attack.
The rare causes of angina are:
- Abnormal function of small arteries without narrowing of the large arteries.
- Spasms of the coronary artery.
There are risk factors for coronary artery disease that include:
- Diabetes.
- The family history of early coronary heart disease (a close relative such as a brother or father had heart disease before age 55 in a man or before age 65 in a woman).
- High blood pressure
- High levels of LDL cholesterol.
- Low HDL cholesterol.
- The sedentarism (lack of exercise).
- Obesity.
- Advanced age.
- Smoking habit
Some of the symptoms of angina may include:
- Pain in the chest can also be felt in the shoulder, neck, jaw, arm, back, or other areas.
- Upset that feels like crushing, stiffening, burns, oppression, suffocation, or pain.
- The discomfort occurs at rest and does not disappear quickly when taking medicines.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Perspiration.
