Facts You Should Know About Angina( Chest Pain)
Angina is chest pain that happens because there isn’t enough blood going to part of your heart. It can feel like a heart attack, with pressure or squeezing in your chest. It’s sometimes called angina pectoris or ischemic chest pain.
- If you are having pain or pressure in the middle of your chest, left neck, left shoulder, or left arm, go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department.
- Angina or angina pectoris, is the medical term used to describe the temporary chest discomfort that occurs when the heart is not getting enough blood. When the heart does not get enough blood, it can no longer function at its full capacity.
- When a person with angina eats, physically exerts themselves, or experiences strong emotions or extreme temperatures, it increases the demand on the heart.
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An episode of angina can be relieved by removing the stressor and/or taking sublingual (under the tongue) nitroglycerin.
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An episode of angina is not a heart attack; however, having angina does mean you have an increased risk of having a heart attack. Angina can be a helpful warning sign if it makes a person seek timely medical help and avoid a heart attack.
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The more time the heart is deprived of adequate blood flow (ischemia), and thus oxygen, the more the heart muscle is at risk of heart attack or heart rhythm abnormalities. The longer the person experiences chest pain from angina, the more the heart muscle is at risk of dying or malfunctioning.
Go to a hospital emergency department if the affected person has any of the following
• Sweating
• Weakness
• Faintness
• Numbness or tingling
• Nausea
• Pain that does not go away after a few minutes
• Pain that is of concern in any way
• Not all chest pain is angina. Pain in the chest can come from a number of causes
Which Range from not serious to very serious.
• Acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD)
• Upper respiratory infection
• Asthma
• Sore muscles and ligaments in the chest (chest wall pain).
Book your appointment with our Doctor at Amrita Medical center