Does anyone here know more about "ANGINA".?

Question

Does Stress Test and heart ultrasound detect this disease?

I had a few EKG tests, along w/ a heart ultrasound and stress test. However, all the test results are negative. I've been having this weird chest pain for quite sometime now, I also have a lot of pains right under arm. The pain is off and on, and the severity varies. I feel so helpless because I think my doctor thinks I'm just crazy and making up all this stuff. She even prescibe me some anti-depressant. I'm not even close to being depress. I'm just wondering if what causing my pain is actually hard to detect. One doctor even told me that I'm too young for any type of disease. I'm 32 years old, height is 5"6, and my weight is 121 lbs. Please I need some help/advise.

Answer 1

It might be time to seek a second opinion. Interestingly enough women suffer death from their first heart attacks more regularly than men and the reason is that it is not their first heart attack. If you are having idiopathic (cause unknown) chest pain and someone prescribes you antibiotics would you seek a second opinion? Sure you would because that wouldn't make any sense either.

If the chest pain arises during stress or physical exertion and goes away upon rest this is called stable angina and is indicative of the heart not receiving enough oxygen in times of high energy demand. The word stable should not indicate to you some form of safety. If the chest pain strikes as you are just sitting there and getting up and moving relieves the pain this is called prinzmetals angina either condition should be looked at right away.

A few things to consider:
No one is ever too young to suffer from heart disease.
Do you have family history?
What is your cholesterol? Do you have hypertension? Do you smoke? Are you on birth control and smoke?

All of these are good determinants of absolute cardiac risk and should be discussed (or tested for) on your next doctor visit.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Hi,

These are the some of informations about ANGINA.
Angina (also called angina pectoris) is chest discomfort, caused by reduced oxygen supply to the heart muscle, in relation to its needs. Angina can occur in men and women of any age but it is more common among the middle-aged and elderly.

The following conditions affect the blood supply of the heart leading to angina:


Coronary Artery Disease or Coronary Heart Disease (CAD/CHD): This is the most common cause of angina in which the walls of the arteries carrying blood to the heart become lined with fat deposits. This restricts the blood flow, and less oxygen reaches the heart muscle.


Spasm of the coronary artery: A transient narrowing of the coronary artery causes blood to stop flowing through the artery briefly. When the spasm is over, the artery and blood flow returns to normal. Abnormal heart valves and rhythms reduce the blood flow to the heart.


Anaemia: The levels of red blood cells or haemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying chemical in the blood) are too low.


Polycythemia: An excess of red blood cells causing the blood to thicken.



The symptoms of angina include chest pain that feels like strangulation with tightness or heavy pressure on the chest. The pain usually starts in the chest and spreads to the throat, arms (usually the left arm), and jaws, and between the shoulder blades; the pain can also spread to the stomach and feel like an ulcer or indigestion. There may also be nausea, sweating, light-headedness and difficulty in breathing.

It can be diagnosed.

In case of occasional symptoms, the doctor takes a detailed history of the type, frequency and intensity of symptoms as well as the factors that induce and relieve it. Examination of the pulse, blood pressure, neck, abdomen, lungs and heart is carried out. An electrocardiogram (ECG) will record the heart rate and rhythm and any other abnormality. A treadmill or stress exercise test is carried out, if required, at a suitable time. In emergency situations, with sudden chest pain, the doctor will take the medical history, examine the patient and usually suggest hospital admission, for observation and treatment. Here, the ECG is continuously monitored. Blood examination and other tests are done to look for damage to the heart muscle due to a possible heart attack.

The following guidelines along with the doctor’s advice should be followed:

A regular exercise program under the doctor’s supervision.

A supervised weight-loss program in over-weight persons.

Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and avoid foods high in fat and cholesterol.

The blood pressure should be checked regularly and kept as close as possible to 120/80mmHg.

Get relaxed sleep at night.

Avoid stress.

Always carry the medicines prescribed by the doctor along with the prescription.



Feel Free To Contact
Dr.Mojo

Answer 3

How is angina diagnosed?

The resting electrocardiogram (EKG) is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart muscle, and can detect heart muscle which is in need of oxygen. The resting EKG is useful in showing the changes which are caused by a heart attack. It is less useful in patients with angina, since the chest pain and lack of oxygen supply to the heart only become evident during exertion or excitement.

In patients with a normal resting EKG, exercise treadmill or bicycle testing can be useful screening tools for coronary artery disease. During an exercise treadmill test, EKG recordings of the heart are performed continuously as the patient undergoes increasing levels of exercise. The occurrence of chest pain during exercise can be correlated with changes on the EKG which demonstrate the lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. When the patient rests, the angina and the changes on the EKG which indicate lack of oxygen to the heart can both disappear. The accuracy of exercise treadmill tests in the diagnosis of significant coronary artery disease is 60% to 70%.

If the exercise treadmill test does not show signs of coronary artery disease, a nuclear agent (thallium) can be given intravenously during exercise treadmill tests. The addition of thallium allows nuclear imaging of blood flow to different regions of the heart, using an external camera. A reduced blood flow in an area of the heart during exercise, with normal blood flow to the area at rest, signifies significant artery narrowing in that region of the heart.

Stress echocardiography combines echocardiography (ultrasound imaging of the heart muscle) with exercise treadmill testing. Like the exercise thallium test, stress echocardiography is more accurate than an exercise treadmill test in detecting coronary artery disease. When a coronary artery is significantly narrowed, the heart muscle supplied by this artery does not contract as well as the rest of the heart muscle during exercise. Abnormalities in muscle contraction can be detected by echocardiography. Stress echocardiography and thallium stress tests are both about 80% to 85% accurate in detecting significant coronary artery disease.

When a patient cannot undergo exercise stress test because of neurological or arthritic difficulties, medications can be injected intravenously to simulate the stress on the heart normally brought on by exercise. Heart imaging can be performed with a nuclear camera or echocardiography.

Cardiac catheterization with angiography (coronary arteriography) is a technique that allows x-ray pictures to be taken of the coronary arteries. It is the most accurate test to detect coronary artery narrowing. Small hollow plastic tubes (catheters) are advanced under x-ray guidance to the openings of the coronary arteries. Iodine contrast "dye," is then injected into the arteries while an x-ray video is recorded. Coronary arteriography gives the doctor a picture of the location and severity of coronary artery disease. This information can be important in helping doctors select treatment options.

Answer 4

Woman

Answer 5

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/heart/cad/cad.symptoms.angina.htm/?src=overture&s_kwcid=1080039000000001698&clicksource=standard
Check this out

Answer 6

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle does not get enough blood. Angina may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in your chest. The pain may also occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It may also feel like indigestion.

Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. CAD occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries. This buildup of plaque is called atherosclerosis. As plaque builds up, the coronary arteries become narrow and stiff. Blood flow to the heart is reduced. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle.

Sometimes, your doctor can diagnose angina by noting your symptoms and how they occur. Your doctor may order one or more tests to help make a diagnosis of angina. The tests your doctor may order include:

EKG (electrocardiogram). This test measures the rate and regularity of your heartbeat. Some people with angina have a normal EKG.
Stress Test. Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working harder and beating faster than when it's at rest. During stress testing, you exercise (or are given medicine if you are unable to exercise) to make your heart work harder and beat faster while heart tests are performed.
During exercise stress testing, your blood pressure and EKG readings are monitored while you walk or run on a treadmill or pedal a bicycle. Other heart tests, such as nuclear heart scanning or echocardiography, also can be done at the same time. These would be ordered if your doctor needs more information than the exercise stress test can provide about how well your heart is working.
If you are unable to exercise, a medicine can be injected through an intravenous line (IV) into your bloodstream to make your heart work harder and beat faster, as if you are exercising on a treadmill or bicycle. Nuclear heart scanning or echocardiography is then usually done.
During nuclear heart scanning, radioactive tracer is injected into your bloodstream, and a special camera shows the flow of blood through your heart and arteries. Echocardiography uses sound waves to show blood flow through the chambers and valves of your heart and to show the strength of your heart muscle.
Your doctor also may order two newer tests along with stress testing if more information is needed about how well your heart works. These new tests are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning of the heart. MRI shows detailed images of the structures and beating of your heart, which may help your doctor better assess if parts of your heart are weak or damaged. PET scanning shows the level of chemical activity in different areas of your heart. This can help your doctor determine if enough blood is flowing to the areas of your heart. A PET scan can show decreased blood flow caused by disease or damaged muscles that may not be detected by other scanning methods.
Chest x ray. A chest x ray takes a picture of the organs and structures inside your chest. These include your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
Nuclear heart scan. This test provides your doctor with moving pictures of the blood passing through your heart's chambers and arteries and shows the level of blood flood to the heart muscle. A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected into your bloodstream through a vein, usually in your arm. A special camera is placed in front of your chest to show where the tracer lights up in healthy heart muscle and where it doesn't light up (in heart muscle that has been damaged or has a blocked artery).
There are different types of nuclear heart scans. Most scans have two phases—taking pictures of the heart at rest and while it is beating faster (called a stress test), although sometimes only a rest scan is done. Many heart problems show up more clearly when your heart is stressed than when it is at rest. By comparing the nuclear heart scan of your heart at rest to your heart at "stress," your doctor can determine if your heart is functioning normally or not.
Echocardiogram. This test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart. Echocardiogram provides information about the size and shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are functioning. The test also can identify areas of poor blood flow to the heart, areas of heart muscle that are not contracting normally, and previous injury to the heart muscle caused by poor blood flow.
There are several different types of echocardiograms, including a stress echocardiogram. During this test, an echocardiogram is done both before and after your heart is stressed either by having you exercise or by injecting a medicine into your bloodstream that makes your heart beat faster and work harder. A stress echocardiogram is usually done to find out if you have decreased blood flow to your heart (coronary artery disease).
Cardiac catheterization. A thin flexible tube (catheter) is passed through an artery in the groin (upper leg) or arm to reach the coronary arteries. Your doctor can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries of the heart by x ray.
Coronary angiography. This test is done during cardiac catheterization. A dye that can be seen by x ray is injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries. Your doctor can see the flow of blood through your heart and the location of blockages.

Answer 7

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