The heart is the central organ of the circulatory system, consisting of the ventricles, the heart, and the heart valves. It plays a direct role in maintaining life by generating periodic electrical stimulation and supplying blood to the body through contraction and relaxation. When these abnormalities in the heart function occur, there is a problem in the normal circulation of blood, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to each organ and carries carbon dioxide and waste products, and acts as a cause of related diseases such as myocardial infarction and arrhythmia. . Angina is one of these heart-related diseases, which is a disease caused by insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle. Angina got its name because it feels like the chest is narrowed and pain like squeezing occurs. It is divided into stable angina, unstable angina, and variant angina.
Different types of angina have different causes. Stable angina, which is caused by chronic narrowing of coronary arteries, is known to be affected by factors such as vigorous exercise, excessive mental stress, overeating, smoking, and cold weather. In addition, unstable angina, which is caused by coronary artery stenosis or thrombus blocking the coronary artery, is known to occur as the blood flow to the heart muscle increases. It is reported to occur due to temporary narrowing. In addition, causative diseases such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and high blood pressure are known as risk factors that greatly influence the occurrence. Now, let’s take a closer look at the main symptoms that appear when angina occurs, as well as various information on treatment and prevention.
The main symptoms of angina
The main symptom of angina is chest pain or chest discomfort. In most cases, chest pain appears as a feeling of being squeezed or squeezed in the center of the chest. In addition, the most important characteristic of chest pain is that the pain does not appear at rest, but the pain may appear in various situations, such as exercising, exposure to cold temperatures, or lifting heavy objects. It usually lasts less than 10 minutes, and it goes away with rest, but if the symptoms get worse, the duration of the pain will be longer, and the pain may occur even if you are at rest. Other symptoms may include severe fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, and abdominal pain.
If left untreated, angina can lead to fatal diseases such as myocardial infarction, in which part of the heart muscle is necrotic. In particular, unstable angina is known to have the highest risk of progressing to myocardial infarction even in angina. Several symptoms of unstable angina include sudden onset of chest pain suspected of angina within 4 to 6 weeks, an increase in intensity or frequency of occurrence each time the pain appears, and symptoms that do not improve even when resting. You could call it a symptom. Even if only one of these symptoms occurs, the occurrence of unstable angina can be suspected, so it is important to proceed with appropriate examination and treatment through a prompt visit. And if you have vascular-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and peripheral arterial disease, the risk of developing angina is much higher than that of healthy people, so regular check-ups are important.
Treatment and prevention of angina
1. Treatment based on multiple tests and diagnosis results
Angina can be treated with various tests, such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, chest X-ray, and blood tests, along with the improvement of symptoms. Depending on the severity of symptoms, various tests such as coronary angiography, nuclear imaging scan, and CT may be performed. In some cases, these tests are performed after artificially applying a load to the heart using exercise or drugs to make a more accurate diagnosis. And depending on the diagnosis result, various treatment methods such as lifestyle improvement, drug treatment, coronary artery dilatation, and coronary artery bypass surgery are applied. Drug treatment is performed using drugs such as aspirin, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, vasodilators, and lipid-lowering drugs that inhibit blood clot formation, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and relax blood vessels. In addition, surgical methods such as coronary intervention, which inserts a catheter into the narrowed blood vessel to widen the blood vessel, or coronary artery bypass surgery, which replaces the blocked and narrowed coronary artery with an artificial blood vessel or blood vessel from another part of the body, can be performed.
2. Regular exercise and stress control
In order to prevent angina and improve symptoms, it is very important to have a regular exercise habit. It is important to continue jogging, including walking for 30-40 minutes every day, and aerobic exercise such as hiking, swimming, and aerobics. In particular, walking is known to be a good representative exercise for the prevention of angina pectoris because it makes the muscles, bones, and nerves move harmoniously to facilitate the flow of blood. It is important to select and perform these various exercises according to the intensity and physical strength suitable for your physical condition. Excessive mental stress can also aggravate symptoms, so it is a very important preventive habit to keep enough rest and hobbies to relieve and reduce stress.
3. No smoking
Smoking is known to increase the risk of angina pectoris and various coronary artery diseases, and is known to be a major risk factor for complications of myocardial infarction, so it is important to quit smoking. In addition, it can be said that reducing the intake of instant, fast food, and various processed foods high in trans fatty acids, which raise the level of LDL cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol, and refraining from excessive drinking are as important preventive habits as smoking cessation.
4. Maintenance and continuation of an appropriate healthy diet
In order to prevent and manage angina, it is important to consistently implement dietary habits such as news, vegetarian, and low-sodium diets. It is recommended to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables, and eat more soybeans. In addition, it is recommended to reduce the intake of meat parts such as pork belly and chicken skin that contain a lot of fat and cholesterol, oily soup, soup, and egg yolk, and eat meat parts with a low fat content.
Also, it is important to consistently consume whole grains rich in complex carbohydrates and blue fish rich in omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids in the prevention and management of angina pectoris. wish.
