How to manage when angina is present

Angina is the most common ischemic disease in the heart muscle. Although this is a mild form of disease, if not treated promptly, the disease will turn bad, leading to a heart attack. So what should you do when angina suddenly occurs?

Infarction point (Photo: TTO)

Clinical manifestations of angina pectoris

The position of pain usually follows the sternum, suddenly causing the patient to be struggling to stop immediately. The patient feels as though the chest is squeezed, something that blocks the sternum or the side of the heart. Or the pain spreads to the shoulders, on the sides of the lower jaw in the left hand, on the neck. In the atypical case, the pain appears on the right side, in the epigastric region, it is sometimes mistaken as acute stomach pain. Sometimes pain in the shoulder blades, wrists and neck.

Painful features such as stabbing knives or on the contrary do not hurt but only feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, choking, something that is pinched in the neck, burning in the front of the heart, the direction is also different, sometimes down. taste or behind your back . The patient was restless, panicked, afraid of feeling about to die to a place where he did not dare to move for fear of intense pain. Time of pain lasts from a few seconds to 10, 15 minutes.

If the pain lasts more than half an hour, watch out for a heart attack. The pain goes away very quickly, the patient is able to walk normally but if the patient struggles again the pain recurs.

The pain may appear sparse or fast, but the longer the time is, the worse the prognosis will be.

During the above pain, sometimes hearing normal heart sounds, normal blood pressure, no difficulty breathing, no palpitations, only electrocardiography is changing on some waves like flat or negative T waves ( in 50% of cases).

When does the pain appear?

Angina occurs after a strenuous activity such as heavy work, running, climbing a slope, climbing stairs, having sex . If the pain occurs while resting, relaxing, sleeping . usually must be angina.

Psychological factors, such as strong emotions, anger, anger, fear . can also cause pain.

Pain threshold is the level of effort of the patient to appear pain. For example, the pain that occurs after each walk is exactly 1 km. The narrower the coronary arteries, the lower the threshold of pain, the only patients with a slight increase in movement are pain.

Most patients have stable pain thresholds or stable angina. For example, when climbing a staircase to the third floor, it appears that the pain and morning running on the gym to the right place is painful, carrying the second water to feel pain.

Some patients have unstable angina. It is the manifestation of the disease getting worse, the pain appeared thicker, more severe pain. Unstable angina is dangerous because it is difficult to distinguish it from a heart attack.

What to do when angina is present?

When in pain, patients need to stand still, stop all movements , if they are at home or not in the hospital, they need to stay still, or in a half-sitting position, avoid moving, often just resting like that pain may also go away, but if the pain is severe, it is necessary to take medicine and go to hospital immediately.

The treatment for each pain may be submerged with nitroglycerin under the tongue or amyl nitrite (1ml tube contains 3 drops), when the attack only breaks a tube to wrap the gauze to smell. Drugs work fast but the effect is also very short. Currently there are also some fast-acting drugs that are contained in spray cans, or paste types such as high paste into the heart region. Their mechanism of action is to dilate coronary arteries, but also to lower peripheral blood pressure and reduce heart attack and also reduce oxygen demand in the heart.

Long-term treatment with other vasodilators such as lenitral, isosorbit, tildiem, vasterel . or by coronary artery surgery, grafting of atherosclerotic plaques, bridging, coronary artery dilatation.

People at risk of angina

1. Men make up 80%, appear at the age of over 40. Women appear at age over 45.
2. People suffering from obesity, hypertension, diabetes.
3. Too much fat diet.
4. There is a habit of smoking, sedentary, or having to worry a lot.
5. Families have angina, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

Advice for people with angina

People with angina do not need absolute rest but need to limit manual and mental labor, avoid exertion, especially sudden exertion, brisk walking, uphill, up stairs, against the wind ., Avoid cold, avoid drafts, do not take a night bath, live in moderation, take a rest time, avoid working immediately after meals. Light exercise, short and slow walking but not heavy sports such as weight training, karate, tennis, focus on entertainment, listening to music .

No smoking because tobacco is the cause of pain, limiting solid coffee and thick tea because it causes insomnia. Do not eat too big meals, do not drink alcohol. Limit your intake of lipid and cholesterol-rich substances such as animal fat, butter, egg yolks, brains, liver, and kidneys and use vegetable oil instead of animal fat.