Out of the three major types of angina, the one classified as “Unstable” is mostly responsible for causing severe cardiac issues. Medical practitioners always warn patients not to neglect its early signs and take every possible preventive measure to keep from developing unstable angina.
So what is unstable angina, its symptoms, the effect on the heart and ways to diagnose and treat it? To answer this question, we need to take a look into the nature of angina and the three types known to date.
What is angina?What are the different types?
Angina is a cardiac ailment associated with left side chest pain, often felt as heaviness, tightness, fullness, etc. It is due to coronary artery disease, whereby excess fatty deposits known as plaques accumulate on the inner walls of the coronary arteries, thereby narrowing them. These deposits restrict adequate blood flow to the heart, causing severe oxygen deficiency that manifests as chest pain. Following are the three types of angina:
- Stable Angina:
- Unstable Angina:
- Variant Angina:
Stable angina manifests by physical exertion, i.e. when exercising or climbing stairs. The rapid heartbeat increases the heart’s oxygen requirement, but the narrowed arteries restrict the adequate blood flow, resulting in a shortage of proper oxygen supply to the heart muscles.. Narrowing of the arteries can also be due to cold temperature, emotional stress, over-eating, smoking, etc. This type of angina is usually cured by taking optimum rest and maintaining a balanced diet.
When the fatty deposits rupture, it forms blood clots on the inner walls of the coronary arteries, which further siphons the already narrowed arteries, thus depriving the heart of the minimum required oxygen. In the long run, if the blood flow doesn’t improve, it can cause a heart attack. The main problem with unstable angina is that it didn’t respond to medications and is cured only by emergency treatment.
Variant Angina (also known as Prinzmetal’s Angina) is the rarest type. It is caused by occasional spasms in the arteries, resulting in restricted blood flow. Smoking, emotional stress, substance abuse, etc. are primarily responsible for causing variant angina.
[Note: it is evident from the above classifications, that unstable angina poses more threat to the heart than the rest, and is one of the main culprits behind sudden heart attacks. However, stable angina when left untreated eventually leads to unstable type.]
What are the tell-tale signs of unstable angina?
Some of the most common characteristics of unstable angina include:
- Occurs even when at rest
- Shows deviations from the usual pattern of angina
- More severe than stable angina
- Lasts for more than 30mins
- Doesn’t respond to medications
How to diagnose unstable angina?
Following are some clinically prescribed diagnostic procedures for unstable angina:
- Electrocardiogram
- Echocardiogram
- Stress Test
- Nuclear Stress Test
- Chest X-Ray
- Blood Test
- Coronary Angiography
- Cardiac Computerized Tomography
- Cardiac MRI
What are the best treatment methods for unstable angina?
Some clinically approved treatments are as follows:
- Lifestyle changes - Quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercises, reducing mental stress, etc.
- Medications - Nitrates, aspirin, clot-preventing drugs, beta-blockers, statins, Ranolazine, etc.
- Surgeries - Angioplasty, stenting, coronary artery bypass surgery, etc.
Endnote:
Unstable angina has earned the reputation as one of the chief reasons behind a heart attack. But that in no way reduces the concern for the other two types. While they’re not directly responsible for heart attack, extreme circumstances can complicate things. So it is always recommended to treat all forms of angina, irrespective of their type or level of threat.
Source
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/angina/diagnosis-treatmen...