Angina

From my last question...the medical term may be angina?  I'm confused.  All I know is he has chest pain, it worsens, and it is excrutiatingly painful.  Why does this happen?  My brother is 6'4 healthy as an ox.  He's always excelled in sports and activities his entire life.  

[caregiver222]

Generally anginal pain results from a muscular spasm or a blood vessel supplying oxygenated red blood cells to the heart. These spasms tend to be of limited duration and are analgous to a "Charlie Horse". If angina is suspected, whenever there is pain all activity must cease, he should lie doen, and wait for the pain to subside. This minimizes the oxygen demands placed on the heart. The differential diagnosis involves providing the patient with a nitroglycerine tablet under the tongue. The nitroglycerine is a vasodilator, which causes the blood vessels walls to relax, increasing the diameter of the pipe. If the pain is cardiogenic, and if nitroglycerine relieves the pain, then the diagnosis of angina is confirmed. Often there are co-factors, such as fatty deposits within the vessel. There, are, however many reasons for chest pain, including a physical injury to the sternum. What your brother needs is an in person consultation with a cardiologist, M.D. type, who, I am sure will prescribe appropriate tests and medications, if necessary.

[caregiver222]

I might add, the term "heart attack" is medically meaningless. The fact he has had a few episodes of angina (assuming this is the case) does not mean he has heart damage and won't live a long and healthy life. The "spasm" in angina is not a spasm of the heart, but of a blood vessel. The reasons for these spasms are not clearly understood in all cases. So don't feel you are being provided with inadequate care simply because your physician can't tell you exactly why this is happening.

[Concernedcarrie]

Thank you for your help.  He had damage to his heart (tests concluded EKG,etc) both this time and last.  This last time they did a catheterization on him.  They found no blockage.  The doctor's found the damage to heart to be the same as last time.  The pain and intesity were longer.  They do have him on medicine everyday.  Angina may not be the issue.  We're not positive what the issue is yet.  I will suggest he talk to another cardiologist for more testing.  Thanks!

[caregiver222]

Just cheer up! Most of the cardiologists I have come across are pretty good, and even if there is an "infarct" or bit of dead tissue, if the condition is properly treated there is no reason to be gloomy. The main bit of lay advice I could provide is that if you are outside or at home and chest pain develops that is unrelieved by nitrogloycerine, lay down and wait for the ambulance. Do not walk anywhere. The diffference between a normal recovery and a not-so-normal one is often the demand placed upon the heart in such a situation for "extra oxygen". You don't want to go into oxygen deficit". I cannot hope to tell you about the number of people who would still be alive if they had not decided to "go out and meet and walk to the ambulace" or because they were reluctant to call an ambulance and decided to walk to their cars and have a relative drive them.