What is the Difference Between Heart Attack and Angina

by | Aug 22, 2014 | Health, Mens Health, Women's Health | 0 comments

Heart diseases, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death in the US. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), an estimated 10 million people in the US suffer from angina and heart attack. Two main reasons for heart disease, as per the National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, are high blood pressure and cholesterol, which leads to heart problems like angina and heart attack.

What is angina?

Angina, known as ‘angina pectoris,’ is a discomfort or pain in the chest that occurs if any area of the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. It is stated as the continuous deposition of a waxy substance called plaque on the inner walls of the arteries, proceeding to a condition called atherosclerosis. In this condition, the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart are plugged up, and arteries get narrower and narrower, followed by a reduction of blood supply.

What is the difference between heart attack and angina?

There is only a thin line of demarcation and no major difference between both. Pain in the chest characterizes both, but if the pain goes away, then there is no danger. But if the pain does not go away even after rest, then it is a warning sign and is the onset of a heart attack.

The most common symptoms are chest pain and discomfort. It is a burning sensation or tightness and squeezing in the chest area. Pain from angina generally spreads to the arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, throat, or back. The pain may occur during physical activity, exercise, stress, periods of extreme cold or hot temperatures, after heavy meals, or while smoking or drinking alcohol.

Other symptoms could also be associated with angina, such as nausea, fatigue, weakness, light-headedness, sweating, and shortness of breath (more common in people with diabetes and older people).

Some people confuse angina with strokes. Stroke is independent of heart functioning; it has nothing to do with the heart, or it does very little if it does. It occurs when the brain cells are deprived of the blood supply, resulting in a stroke. Symptoms of stroke include:

  • Sudden numbness of face, arm, or leg – especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause
  • Impaired vision in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble in walking and locomotion
  • Sudden loss of coordination or balance

How to identify if it is angina or a heart attack?

The symptoms of angina can be like the symptoms of a heart attack. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether the pain you’re having is from a heart attack or something else. But if you have chest pain lasting longer than a few minutes (approx 6 to 8 minutes), and if it isn’t relieved by rest or angina medicine, then seek medical help immediately.

Angina treatment

Angina treatment depends on the severity and persistence of the pain you feel. It can be simply treated with medication or by bringing lifestyle changes. Still, when the pain exhibits a different pattern of prevalence, then it should be examined carefully and requires a formal approach.

Medication

Angina can be treated with medications alone. Medications that can improve angina symptoms include:

  • Aspirin: Preventing blood clotting may reduce the risk of heart attack. Aspirin reduces the ability to form blood clots, resulting in easy blood flow from the arteries.
  • Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers, also known as beta-adrenergic antagonists, are prescribed to treat angina. Angina occurs when the heart requires more oxygen than it is getting. They help patients with angina by lowering the amount of oxygen the heart muscles require. They slow down the heartbeat, decrease the force of the contractions of the heart muscles, and reduce blood vessel contraction in the heart.
  • Nitrates:  Nitrates act on angina by relaxing and widening the blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow to the heart muscle. The most common form of nitrate used is Nitroglycerin tablets.
  • Calcium antagonist drugs: These drugs block the calcium channel and widen the blood vessels, thus facilitating increased blood flow to the heart. They also slow down the pulse rate and reduce the workload on the heart.
  • Statins: High cholesterol levels in the blood have never been considered good; therefore, the body needs to get rid of cholesterol for a healthy heart. Statin drugs lower blood cholesterol and reabsorb cholesterol. They may also help reduce inflammation in your blood vessels to lessen the chance of a heart attack.
  • Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: These drugs help relax blood vessels. ACE inhibitors prevent an enzyme in your body from producing angiotensin II, which affects your cardiovascular system in numerous ways, including narrowing your blood vessels. This narrowing can cause high blood pressure and force your heart to work harder.

 

Surgical Methods

Angina pain can be cured by drugs and medicine and sometimes by Coronary Bypass Surgery. When there is a change in angina pattern, it may be termed unstable and more dangerous. Here, a patient may require hospitalization, medication adjustment, and angioplasty.

Lifestyle changes

Bad lifestyle habits trigger any disease in our body. The risk factors should be controlled to prevent or reduce the effects of such diseases. This prevents the onset of all diseases in the body, including angina, and these risk factors include:

  • Smoking and drinking: Abstain from smoking and drinking.
  • Healthy diet: Add whole grains, legumes, nuts, green vegetables, and fruits. Cut down the consumption of oily and fatty food, which is crucial for a healthy heart.
  • Cholesterol: Control the level of cholesterol. Nearly 2 out of 3 adults with high cholesterol and high blood pressure don’t have their condition under control.
  • Exercise: Stay physically active to control risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
  • Avoid Stress: Try stress-reduction techniques and meditation.

Experts believe that nearly 7 million people in the US suffer from angina, and heart-related problems accelerate it; however, other factors, too, are responsible for causing angina, like lung infection or panic attacks.

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Max Jones

A compulsive reader and a writer with a diploma in nutrition and diet. In my free time I love to explore my city while I promote pedal-biking.

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