Heart Condition Saturday: Angina Pectoris
May 28, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
This week’s heart condition in focus is angina pectoris.
Angina pectoris is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease. Angina is a symptom of a condition called myocardial ischemia. It occurs when the heart muscle (myocardium) doesn’t get as much blood (hence as much oxygen) as it needs. This usually happens because one or more of the heart’s arteries (blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle) is narrowed or blocked. Insufficient blood supply is called ischemia.
If you begin to experience chest pain for the first time or have chest discomfort that is growing worse and won’t go away, you should go immediately to the emergency room. Chest pain can signal:
- An acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
- Severe cardiac arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation
- Cardiac arrest leading to sudden death
Technorati Tags: angina, angina pectoris, heart, heart disease, disease, health, cardiovascular disease, cvd
