Definition
Angina pectoris literally means a narrow chest. The complaints are based on coronary heart disease (CHD), which leads to a lack of blood supply to the heart muscles. This causes chest pain and a feeling of tightness or pressure on the chest.
Usually such an angina pectoris attack occurs when the person affected is physically active. In this situation, the heart needs better blood circulation, which is not possible due to CHD. During a seizure, the symptoms start suddenly and last for about one to five minutes. After that, the heart’s needs are reduced again and the symptoms disappear.
What are the typical signs of angina pectoris?
The typical signs of angina pectoris are a tight chest and pain in the chest area. This pain can also radiate into the back, left arm/ shoulder, jaw or upper abdomen. Upper abdominal pain is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Typically, chest pain is located directly behind the sternum, usually dull or sharp and piercing. The chest tightness feels as if someone has placed a heavy bag on the chest of the person affected. This usually results in a feeling of breathlessness, which can increase to an anxiety and panic attack.
Usually the symptoms first appear during physical exertion, stress can also be a trigger for the symptoms. Angina pectoris usually occurs in attacks. The symptoms begin suddenly and severely and last for about one to five minutes.
What is the course of a seizure?
The sudden onset of symptoms is characteristic of angina pectoris attacks. However, some people also feel slight signs before a seizure sets in. These include a stabbing or pulling sensation in the chest area.
Stomach pain and nausea can also be indications of an angina pectoris attack. The seizure typically lasts only a few minutes. The course of the attack varies from person to person.
In some cases, the symptoms worsen in the first few minutes, only to subside after a “peak”. Others suffer from pain and shortness of breath continuously for about one to five minutes. For others, the symptoms start suddenly and severely and become weaker over time until they disappear.
A quicker end to the attack can be brought about by using nitro spray. This dilates the coronary arteries and thus leads to better blood circulation in the heart muscles. As long as the seizures in one person do not differ from each other, one speaks of stable angina pectoris.
If the seizures get worse over time or occur more frequently, unstable angina pectoris is present, which indicates a progression of coronary heart disease. A typical angina pectoris attack usually lasts about one to five minutes. However, there are deviations from this normal duration, so that in seizures of between 30 seconds and 30 minutes, the presence of an angina pectoris seizure is still considered.
How long the seizure lasts in a single person depends on many factors and cannot be clearly justified. It is certain, however, that with stable angina pectoris, the individual attacks do not increase in length and strength. If there is a change in the number of seizures that occur, unstable angina must first be assumed.
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