Types of Angina

• Stable angina. Stable angina is the most common form of angina that occurs in a regular, predicable pattern. It will usually go away after a few minutes or after medicine prescribed for angina is taken. Although angina is not a heart attack, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, experiencing stable angina does increase your chances for suffering from a heart attack later in life.
• Unstable angina. A very serious condition that indicates a heart attack may be about to occur, unstable angina does not occur in any pattern and can start without physical exertion or any of the other triggers listed above. This type of angina does not go away with rest or medication. If you experience this condition, call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately.
• Variant angina. A rare condition, variant angina is caused by a spasm in the coronary artery. This condition will occur at rest, and the pain can be severe. It can be relieved by medication.

Symptoms. Most people are familiar with the most common symptom of a heart attack: pain and pressure in the chest or left arm. However, there are other signs that a person having a heart attack might experience. They include

• pain and pressure in the chest, shoulders, arms, back, jaw, and/or abdomen;
• numbness in the back, shoulders, or arms;
• shortness of breath;
• dizziness or loss of orientation;
• nausea and/or vomiting;
• breaking out in a cold sweat; and/or
• loss of consciousness.

While these are common symptoms, it is possible that one could experience a “silent” heart attack, or a heart attack that has no accompanying symptoms. Likewise, you should be aware that if you experience two heart attacks, the symptoms could vary a great deal from the first to the second.

Seek Medical Attention. A heart attack is a serious, life-threatening event that if ignored or not treated immediately can cause irreversible damage or death. If you experience chest pain that does not go away or any combination of the above symptoms, do not dismiss them. Call 911 immediately. According to the NHLBI, many heart attack victims wait two hours or longer before contacting emergency personnel. And of the more than one million people who suffer from heart attacks in the United States each year, more than half of them die. What’s more is approximately a quarter of those who die do so in the first hour after experiencing their symptoms, many before they even make it to the emergency room.

Treatment. When a patient is having a heart attack, the doctor’s top priority is to get blood back into the heart. After doing so, the doctor will monitor the patient’s vital signs to ensure that the heart and other organs have not suffered permanent damage. Thrombolytic drugs, or those that break up blood clots, and angioplasty, or a procedure that opens the clogged arteries with stents, are typically used to limit damage and prevent another attack from occurring.

Symptoms. A few of the symptoms of heart failure are similar to those experienced during a heart attack. It is important to recognize the difference in the two. Heart failure symptoms include

• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
• swollen legs or ankles;
• feeling fatigued or more tired than usual;
• heart palpitations; and/or
• edema or fluid buildup in various parts of the body.

Treatment. There is no one test that determines whether or not you are experiencing heart failure. Your cardiologist may, in turn, suggest a number of tests be run before making a diagnosis, including an EKG, a chest x-ray, thyroid function tests, and a stress test. After establishing the existence of heart failure, your doctor may prescribe medications such as diuretics, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors to help improve heart function. Of course, lifestyle changes are critical, but, as the disease progresses, those changes coupled with your medications may not be enough to control the effects. If this is the case, a mechanical heart pump or a heart transplant may be the only option available.