Angina Pectoris

Question 1

What does angina pectoris mean ?

Answer 1

Chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease

Question 2

When do angina pectoris happen ?

Answer 2

When the heart muscle doesn’t get as much blood as it needs and when the heart arteries is narrow

Question 3

What is the pathophysiology of angina pectoris ?

Answer 3

It occurs due to the narrowing of coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart muscle. The narrowing is caused by atherosclerosis

Question 4

Causes of angina pectoris

Answer 4

-Coronary artery disease
-smoking
-hypertension
-high cholesterol
-diabetes

Question 5

What are the signs and symptoms of angina pectoris ?

Answer 5

-shortness of breath
-nausea
-cold sweat
-pain
-dizziness

Question 6

What are the medications recommended for angina pectoris ?

Answer 6

-nitroglycerin (helps to relax and widen blood vessels / improving blood flow to the heart)
-beta-blockers (reduce heart rate and blood pressure / decreases the heart’s workload)
-calcium channel blockers (dilate coronary arteries / reduce chest pain)
-aspirin (prevent blood clots / reduce risk of heart attack)
-statins (lower cholesterol levels / reduce risk of plaque buildup in arteries)

Question 7

What are the examples of the drugs ?

Answer 7

-nitroglycerin (nitrostat glyceryl trinitrate)
-beta-blockers (metaprolol, atenolol)
-calcium channel blockers (amlodipine,dilazepam)
-aspirin (aspirin)
-statins(atrovastatin, simvastatin)

Question 8

What are the uses of b-blockers ?

Answer 8

Reduce the heart rate, the force of the heart’s contractions and the heart’s oxygen demand

Question 9

What do calcium-channel blockers do ?

Answer 9

-Inhibit the L-type calcium channels. By blocking the channels, calcium entry into the vascular smooth muscle cells is reduced
-decrease blood pressure and heart’s afterload

Question 10

Nitrates uses

Answer 10

Release nitric oxide that will increase levels of cGMP within vascular smooth muscle cells