The treatment for Angina Pectoris aims to treat the underlying condition that causes this chest pain. In most cases that underlying medical condition is coronary artery disease. Therefore, it is essential to begin by changing one’s lifestyle to become healthier. Lifestyle changes include: smoking cessation, exercise, and weight loss. Increasing consumption of healthy foods such as lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while decreasing fatty and processed foods can help reduce cholesterol levels. Physical activity goals should be at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least 5 days per week.
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Maintaining regular visits with your medical provider will be needed to track progress and treat long-term chronic diseases that contribute to atherosclerosis. Medical conditions that contribute to atherosclerosis development include: Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Hypertension, Hypertriglyceridemia and Hypercholesterolemia.Medications can also be beneficial in long-term management of coronary artery disease. Acutely, when a patient experiences chest pains the first medication management is Nitrates. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator and allows for increased blood flow to the heart. These Nitrates reduce the oxygen demand of the heart thereby alleviating chest pain in many cases.
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Other medications that are imperative when a patient is experiencing chest pain is aspirin. Aspirin is a platelet-aggregation inhibitor that can be taken daily, in low dose form, to decrease clots in arteries from getting bigger and blocking blood flow. When a patient has chest pain or a heart attack that results in narrowing of the artery, platelets aggregate at the site within the artery. The result is a bigger plaque that cuts off more blood supply to the heart. Therefore, taking a daily aspirin can help prevent this extra step that can result in devastating damage to the heart. Other clot preventing medications include Plavix and Effient. Beta blockers are utilized in angina and after a patient has a heart attack. Beta blockers work by slowing heart rate and decreasing the heart’s work requirement.
Statins are medications used to reduce blood cholesterol levels. The lower the cholesterol levels, lower the chance of cholesterol build up within the arteries. Maintaining therapeutic blood pressure either through exercise or medication is also a way to help treat the underlying disorder that results in angina pectoris.
