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- What is angina?
- Symptoms of angina
- Causes of angina
- Prevention of angina
- Risk factors for angina
- Complications of angina
- When to see a doctor about angina
- Diagnosis of angina
- Conventional treatment of angina
- Alternative/complementary treatment of angina
- Living with angina
- Caring for someone with angina
Conventional treatment of angina
Treatment of angina is based on lifestyle modifications and a number of different medications - those that provide immediate relief, medications that prevent long-term symptoms and medications that prevent worsening of coronary artery disease:
Lifestyle modifications
A number of lifestyle modifications are recommended for people with angina to help prevent worsening of symptoms and help with any underlying heart condition:
- Antibiotics - always use the antibiotics you have been prescribed around one hour before and also six hours after a dental procedure, to reduce risk of any bacterial infection of the heart
- Exercise - regular physical activity is recommended to help reduce the pressure on the heart and enable it to function better. People who have not exercised regularly should only do so under a doctor's advise
- Stop smoking - people who smoke are recommended to stop because the chemicals inside cigarettes can damage the walls of arteries and make them more susceptible to blockages and narrowing
- Stress reduction - there are a number of stress reduction therapies available for people who experience prolonged stress, as it is not healthy for the heart and could be the reason for the angina. Stress reduction therapies include: meditation, tai chi and yoga
- Weight reduction - people who are very overweight and obese will be advised to lose weight, because their excess weight may be causing the angina and heart condition
Medication for immediate relief
There is one medication that is given to people with angina to be used to gain immediate relief from angina symptoms:
- Glyceryl Trinitrate (GTN) - this medication is effective in controlling the painful symptoms of angina very quickly but only lasts a short time. It works by dilating (opening up) the coronary arteries so that there is a better blood supply to the heart and so the pain symptoms are quickly reduced
Medications that prevent long-term symptoms
These medications are prescribed in people who have angina to try to prevent more serious complications of the underlying heart problems (usually due to the coronary arteries):
- ACE Inhibitors - these medication, also known as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are a class of drug which are used to treat people with coronary heart disease. ACE inhibitors prevent the smaller arteries from constricting, which enables the heart's workload (and pressure) to be reduced, which means they are also used in people with high blood pressure
- Beta-blockers - these medications are the first choice treatment to prevent further angina symptoms in people with chronic angina. This class of drugs makes the heart beat slower and with less force which helps to prevent future symptoms of angina. Beta blockers help to prolong life in people who have had a heart attack. Certain people may not be able to handle taking beta blockers, due to the side effects they cause - people with asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart failure or depression
- Calcium channel blockers - these medications open up (dilate) the coronary arteries to help improve blood supply to the heart. Some of these drugs make the heart beat slower and with less force to help prevent future symptoms of angina, as well as controlling spasms related to angina pain. Channel blocker medication may be used together with beta-blockers and nitrates for treating angina that is difficult to control
- Long acting nitrates - these medications open up (dilate) the coronary arteries to improve blood supply to the heart. They are similar in action to Glyceryl Trinitrate (GTN) but their effects last longer, although they are slower to have an effect
- Potassium channel activators - these medications help to open up (dilate) the coronary arteries to improve blood supply to the heart
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Medications that prevent worsening of coronary artery disease
These medications are used in people who have existing coronary artery disease in order to prevent their condition from worsening. In this case, the angina is a symptom of the coronary artery disease (unstable angina):
- Anti-coagulants - this is a major medication to thin the blood and are especially used in the case of breaking up existing blood clots or to prevent future clots from happening
- Anti-platelets - these medications reduce the 'stickiness' of platelets (the type of proteins in blood that help it to clot) in people who are at risk of developing blood clots in one of their arteries. These medications prevent clots from forming and reduce the risk of a heart attack happening
- Aspirin - this over-the-counter medication is recommended to help to prevent blood clots from forming inside narrowed coronary arteries. Research shows aspirin can reduce the risk of a heart attack in people who already have coronary artery disease
- Statins - these medications lower blood cholesterol levels to lower the risk of blocked and narrowed arteries in people who have high cholesterol levels and need it to be lowered to reduce their angina symptoms
Surgery
Some people will need surgery to fix more serious underlying heart problems that cause angina pains:
- Angioplasty - this is a type of surgery to help open up a coronary artery which may be blocked. In this surgery, a wire with a sausage-shaped balloon is placed in one of the large arteries in the body that has a blockage and it is guided to the the narrowed section of a coronary artery. Once there, the balloon has air blown into it to open it up and remove the blockage so that the blood can flow more freely and angina symptoms can be greatly reduced
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) - this is a type of surgery to bypass an artery blockage with healthy blood vessel segments (grafts) taken from other parts of the body so that the coronary arteries can function properly
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< 8: diagnosis 10: alternative treatment > Last reviewed: 24 August 2007 || Last updated: 6 January 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
