CAUSES, DIAGNOSIS, AND PREVENTION OF ANGINA PECTORIS

Angina can manifest as a mild, non-distracting pain or can quickly develop into a strong, intense feeling of pressure in the precordial region. Angina is rarely described by the patients themselves as "pain". In most cases, patients complain of a feeling of discomfort behind the sternum, and the localization of these sensations can also vary. The feeling of discomfort can spread to the left shoulder and extend to the fingertips of the left hand. Pain may occur in the back, throat, lower jaw and teeth, radiating to the inner surface of the right arm. Sometimes this feeling of discomfort is localized in the upper abdomen. It is characteristic that with stable angina, pathological sensations are never localized above the ears and below the navel. Angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome characterized by discomfort or tightness in the precordial region, which is caused by transient myocardial ischemia without the development of infarction. In most cases, angina attacks develop against the background of physical or emotional stress and pass at rest or after sublingual administration of nitroglycerin. The diagnosis of the disease is established on the basis of clinical manifestations, ECG changes and various methods of visualization of myocardial ischemia. Treatment may include antiplatelet drugs, nitrates, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, statins, coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting.