The heart is the primary source of life and therefore, taking care of this organ is crucial. The oxygen it supplies helps the cells to survive and carry on with the life processes. Even though it is a very small organ, almost equivalent to the size of your fist, its functioning is quite complex. It is also impacted by other health problems which aren’t even related to the cardiovascular system directly. This is why knowing about all the possible problems is necessary. After all, it will help you understand what’s the status and get immediate help if necessary. Besides, with this, you can know more about the process of diagnosis of angina – one of the most common heart problems.
What is angina and what causes this disease?
Angina is a heart condition where the cardiac muscle tissues can’t receive enough oxygen to perform the functions in the expected manner. It may happen due to blocks in the coronary arteries or the lack of oxygen concentration in the blood itself due to respiratory problems. As a result, you will feel a stinging or pinching pain in the chest which can be limited to a certain area. In some cases, the pain escalates to the shoulders and comes down the left arm to the fingers.
There are five main causes that lead to angina and there are several risk factors. For example:
i. A blockage in the artery of the lungs or the coronary artery will cause a deficiency of oxygen supply to the heart muscles. As a result, the muscles won’t be able to work properly, thereby causing angina.
ii. Another reason which can cause this heart problem is the inflammation of the pericardium or the protective wall of the heart.
iii. If any valve has narrowed down and can’t open or close in the expected manner, it will slow down the speed of blood flow through the heart, thereby causing a lack of oxygen supply to the muscles.
iv. Due to excessive heart pressure, the aorta walls can tear up, thereby resulting in angina.
Types of angina
There are four major types of angina:
a. Stable angina is often triggered due to excessive stress or physical exercises which develops a strain in the heart muscles, and they are not able to stretch and relax as per expectations.
b. Unstable angina comes and goes as it likes but isn’t always life-threatening. The chest pain that happens with this issue can be quite excruciating, but it will slowly start to lessen as time goes by.
c. Variant angina happens suddenly without you being aware of the upcoming issue. Here, the blood vessels suddenly contract or become narrower than the expected limit which is why the pain is quite high.
d. In the microvascular angina process, you will soon feel a pain in the chest due to the improper working of the micro coronary arteries spread over the heart muscles.
How can angina be diagnosed?
There are several ways by which the diagnosis of angina is carried out. In this section, we will briefly explain these processes so that you can have an overview of the same.
Stable angina diagnosis
Here, the application of differential diagnosis of stable angina pectoris helps the doctors to decide whether the patient is suffering from shooting and pinching chest pain due to lifestyle problems or strained heart muscles. To be honest, there is no specific examination used for proving the existence of this disease. Rather, several other exams are carried out. If the reports are normal, they are ruled out and ultimately, stable angina is detected.
There is no proper treatment either for lowering the chances of suffering from stable angina. Rather, you need to improve your lifestyle and make sure that you live a stress-free life.
Ludwig’s angina diagnosis
Another common type of angina problem is that of Ludwig angina where the bacterial infection in the mouth may often lead to heart issues. To know whether you are suffering from this problem or not, a doctor may prescribe a fluid test and screening examinations. Here, it is seen whether the bacterial infection in your mouth has impacted the pericardium of your heart or not.
If there is any inflammation, a screening test is done to check the extent of this issue and decide how to drain Ludwig’s angina.
What is the most effective angina treatment?
For those with stable angina, nitrates or beta blockers are frequently prescribed first. Calcium channel blockers are an alternative to beta blockers and nitrates if side effects or other problems prevent them from being used.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the various diagnoses of angina processes, it will become much easier for you to decide if anyone needs immediate assistance owing to the symptoms related to myocardial infarction or not. Angina is not that life-threatening, but only if the treatment done is up to the mark and appropriate as per the health condition of the individual. With proper knowledge and in-depth study of the situation, it will become possible to reduce the life-threatening risks of angina and make sure that there is enough time in hand to get professional assistance and prevent any fatal issues.