Once you have been diagnosed with angina you will normally have the condition for life. With certain lifestyle modifications, however, it can be a highly manageable condition.
Underlying damage caused by coronary heart disease cannot be reversed, although you can prevent it from getting worse through a combination of angina medication and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.
The following are ways to keep your heart healthy in order to prevent the progression of coronary heart disease, which is the main cause of angina:
If you have been diagnosed with angina, you should avoid certain triggers that exert strain on your heart, such as: 4
Generally, exercise and relaxation can help to relieve stress, while alcohol and drug use can be stress contributors rather than relievers.
Although angina isn’t a heart attack, if you have the condition you’re at a greater risk of having one. For this reason, you should pay close attention to the pattern of your angina, and keep note of whether it changes. This can include the angina lasting for longer or becoming more severe, an attack occurring without physical exercise or other triggers, or not being alleviated with your normal medication. If any of these happens it could be a sign that your angina is getting worse or is becoming unstable. Developing unstable angina may suggest that you’re at a higher risk of having a heart attack than if you have stable angina. 6Angina sufferers should keep their medicine with them at all times, and should be familiar with the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. If you start to experience these signs, or your angina attack changes in nature and does not lessen as a result of your medication, you should seek urgent medical help.
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Last Updated 29/04/2009 09:44:01
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