Angina pectoris is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying heart problem. Angina occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries are either narrowed or blocked, called ischemia. Angina is chest pain and/or discomfort that happens when the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen rich blood. Angina symptoms are feelings of pressure or squeezing in the chest. It can also cause pain and discomfort in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or the back. Usually angina is caused by coronary heart disease (CHD). Depending on the type of angina one has, knowing the many factors that can trigger an angina attack is very important.
There are four different types of angina pectoris:
Stable Angina
Unstable Angina
Variant (Prinzmetal) Angina
Microvascular (MVD) Angina
Stable angina is chest pain in medical terms. This type of chest pain occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries are either blocked or narrowed. This can cause an uncomfortable pressure, fullness, and a squeezing sensation in the center of the chest. Known triggers are exertion and emotional stress. Stable angina is usually relieved with rest and medication such as nitroglycerin.
Unstable angina is sometimes also called acute coronary syndrome. It causes unexpected chest pain and can occur during states of rest. The common
…show more content…
Each antianginal drugs can be classified into one or more drug classes. These drugs are used to manage angina by improving perfusion of the heart muscle and they also reduce the metabolic demands of the heart muscle. The two main groups of antianginal drugs are organic nitrates and calcium antagonists because they are vasodilators and improve heart muscle perfusion and reduce the metabolic demands of the heart muscle. There are three classes of drugs to treat angina and may be used to treat other conditions as determined by a