Does Angina Resolve on Its Own?

Angina refers to a cluster of symptoms that indicate your heart is struggling because it’s not getting enough oxygen. About 9 million Americans suffer from symptoms of angina, which can include:

• Chest pain
• Burning sensations in your chest
• Fullness or pressure in your chest
• Feeling like your heart’s being squeezed or stabbed
• Pain in your neck, shoulder, jaw, arms, or back
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

Women may have other, seemingly unrelated, symptoms, such as stomach pain or tooth pain.

At Advanced Medical Care, our cardiology team diagnoses and treats angina — as well as the disease or condition that causes it — at our offices in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Angina is often a precursor to a heart attack, so you should never ignore it.

Does angina resolve on its own? It doesn’t. Here’s how to take action to keep your condition under control.

Get an evaluation

Whenever you experience heart pain, chest pain, or shortness of breath, take it seriously. If your symptoms last for more than a few minutes, go to — or have someone take you to — an emergency room.

The symptoms for angina and for a heart attack are nearly identical. Although other conditions, such as panic attacks, may create the same sensations, it's better to be safe than sorry. Delaying evaluation and treatment could be fatal.

If you have angina, your doctor also categorizes the type of angina you have. Each type of angina responds to different treatments and interventions, so knowing what kind you have is essential to your continued health. 

Change your lifestyle

Although angina doesn’t resolve on its own, if you improve your cardiovascular health, your symptoms may eventually disappear. You must make changes that increase the health of your heart and blood vessels to improve blood flow and blood oxygen levels.

Everything from what you eat to how much you move influences your cardiovascular health. If you want to resolve angina and reduce your risk for a heart attack, you can’t delay the adoption of healthy habits:

• Eat a whole-foods diet
• Engage in at least 2.5 hours of exercise each week
• Do regular resistance training
• Quit smoking
• Reduce or quit consuming alcohol
• Attain and maintain a healthy weight
• Control your blood sugar
• Reduce stress

You may also benefit from supplements that decrease inflammation in your arteries and throughout your body. Ask your doctor about L-carnitine, which is derived from the amino acid lysine. 

Take your medications as directed

If your doctor has prescribed medication for cardiovascular health and to address angina symptoms, it’s important to comply with their instructions. Some medications that improve angina symptoms and reduce your risk for heart attack include:

• Nitrates to widen arteries
• Beta-blockers to slow heart rate
• Calcium channel blockers to lower blood pressure and widen arteries
• Aspirin to prevent blood clots
• Statins to lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation
• ACE inhibitors to relax blood vessels 
• Ranolazine reduces your heart’s oxygen need

Your doctor may recommend one or more medications, as well as lifestyle adjustments. Drugs alone are never enough to attain optimal health. If you need help modifying your diet, becoming more active, or quitting smoking, let us know so we can refer you to a specialist.

Severe angina may require surgery.

If your angina is severe, don’t follow a healthy lifestyle, or you’re not taking your medications regularly, you may need more aggressive treatment. Surgery can help your heart get the oxygen it needs. Possible procedures include:

Angioplasty 

Your doctor inserts a catheter with a balloon into a blocked artery. They inflate the balloon to flatten plaque that blocks the artery. They may also insert a stent to hold the artery open after they remove the balloon.

Coronary artery bypass surgery

Your doctor uses a blood vessel from another area of your body to create a new channel so blood can flow around the blocked artery. 

Do you have chest pain or pressure? Find out if you have angina, and get the treatment you need to avoid a heart attack. Contact Advanced Medical Care today by calling the office that is convenient for you or by booking an appointment online.