Angina pectoris
Hugh McGavock, Dennis Johnston in Treating Common Diseases, 2017
Angina pectoris is a distressing symptom resulting from temporary shortage of blood flow to the heart muscle. Patients may describe it as pain, tightness, pressure, aching or choking, mainly in the middle front of the chest. Myocardial oxygen requirements increase when there is an increase in heart rate, myocardial contractility, arterial blood pressure or ventricular volume. Beta-adrenoceptor antagonists are used in the treatment of angina pectoris because they reduce myocardial oxygen demand by decreasing heart rate, myocardial contractility and systemic blood pressure, especially after exercise. The therapeutic effects of relieving chest pain last for about 30 minutes, so there have been various formulations produced to prolong the anti-anginal effects of organic nitrates. Nitrate tolerance occurs when continuous administration results in reduced effectiveness. Beta-blockers are more likely to precipitate heart failure and heart block in patients with angina pectoris compared with those with uncomplicated hypertension.
ANGINA PECTORIS AND UNSTABLE ANGINA
Roger Blackwood in Cardiology for Lawyers, 1996
Angina (strangle) pectoris (chest) was first described before it was believed the heart could be responsible for any sort of illness within the body. It is thus a description of clinical symptoms, first described by Heberden in 1768. In its nature it is unchanged today. Angina pectoris refers to pain coming on in the chest, radiating to the arms (usually left) or neck, and associated with exercise or excitement. It is relieved when the stimulus ceases. It is worse in cold or windy weather or after a large meal when the heart’s cardiac output increases.
Angina Pectoris
Charles Theisler in Adjuvant Medical Care, 2022
Angina pectoris is chest pain that occurs when the coronary blood supply is temporarily insufficient to meet the oxygen needs of the heart muscle (hypoxia). The pain can be accompanied by a feeling of heaviness or tightening in the chest. Angina is not a condition; it is a symptom of coronary heart disease or blocked arteries. Angina can also be a warning sign that there is an increased risk for a heart attack. Nitroglycerine is the primary medical treatment for angina.
Coronary Thromboendarterectomy for Angina Pectoris
Published in Postgraduate Medicine, 1961
David C. Sabiston, Alfred Blalock
Total occlusion of one or more major coronary arteries by atherosclerosis is characteristically found in the majority of patients with the clinical manifestations of severe angina pectoris. Sites of arterial obstruction in patients with severe angina pectoris may be localized precisely by coronary arteriography, and in selected cases it is possible to perform thromboendarterectomy under direct vision. The findings in a group of patients treated in this manner are presented and discussed. Results after a limited period of observation appear sufficiently encouraging to recommend this approach in the management of selected patients with intractable angina pectoris.
The Validity of the Questionnaire Diagnosis
Published in Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 1971
Torbjörn Lundman, Ingvar Liljefors, Rune Cederlöf, Lars Friberg
Validation of a mailed questionnaire concerning angina pectoris has been performed using 69 male twins with the diagnosis “angina pectoris” according to the questionnaire. Of these, 22% could be verified at the clinical examination. If all clinically suspected cases were included together with the cases with a pathological electrocardiogram the confirmation rate was 57%. The confirmation rate was higher, but not significantly so, if the criteria for angina pectoris were altered so that only those with central chest pain were included. The frequency of pathological ECGs in cases with a clinical diagnosis of angina pectoris was significantly higher than in those with a questionnaire diagnosis, which indicates that the validity of the clinical diagnosis is greater. The results indicate that the questionnaire is very useful for screening cases with coronary heart disease. If it is used at prevalence studies or effect studies, one has to be aware of the relatively high frequency of false-positives.
Angina pectoris worsened by mouthwash
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2019
We report a case of variant (Prinzmetal’s) angina pectoris in a 51-year-old man in whom coronary angiography revealed sluggish flow of contrast material. His chest pain was not controlled with standard antianginal therapy, but it resolved after discontinuation of mouthwash. This is the first case of angina pectoris reported that vastly improved after discontinuation of mouthwash.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Cardiac Muscle
- Ischemia
- Myocardial Infarction
- Chest Pain
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Coronary Circulation
- Fatty Acid