[healthyheart.MD]

Introduction

Angina is pain in the chest and surrounding areas of the body that occurs when the heart does not get enough oxygen. Angina is also called angina pectoris. "Pectoris" is Latin for "chest".
More than 6 million Americans suffer from angina. Knowing how to recognize and prevent angina can mean the difference between life and death.

This reference summary will help you learn about the signs of angina, what causes it, treatment options, and how to prevent the serious diseases that it may be a sign of.

Symptoms

Most patients feel severe chest pain or pressure during angina. This pain can spread to the arms, neck, back, and jaw. Some people feel indigestion and nausea.
Angina may cause a feeling of heaviness or tightness in the arms, elbows, and wrists, mainly on the left side.
Fatigue and shortness of breath could also be a sign of angina.
Angina pectoris usually occurs when a person exerts a lot of physical effort for a few minutes. It goes away when the person rests or takes medication. Sometimes it can occur at rest also.

Anatomy

The heart is responsible for pumping blood to all the organs in the body. It is a highly specialized muscle that is expected to work continuously, without rest, for a lifetime!
The heart is divided into the right and the left sides. Each side has 2 chambers: the atrium and the ventricle. Special valves, that prevent blood from flowing backward, divide the chambers.


Blood loaded with oxygen comes from the lung and enters the left atrium. It stays there until the mitral valve opens up and the atrium contracts. This forces the blood into the left ventricle. The blood is then pumped to the rest of the body through the aortic valve into the biggest blood vessel of the body, the aorta.

After the blood comes back from circulating through the body, it goes into the right atrium. From there it is pumped into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve and then to the lung through the pulmonic valve.
In the lung, the blood picks up oxygen and returns to the left atrium, where the whole cycle starts again.
The heart needs a continuous supply of oxygen and sugar to be able to function. Oxygen-rich blood is delivered to the heart through the coronary arteries. These arteries branch off from the aorta.
The heart contracts automatically in a very coordinated way. Special cells located in the atrium set off the electric current needed to cause the atrium to contract.

The electric current spreads to the ventricles through specialized cells. This causes the ventricles to contract after the atrium does.