Unstable angina is a symptom that clearly indicates the development of coronary heart disease. It occurs in 10% of cases of all pathologies of the organ. An unstable form is a borderline state, after which a heart attack already occurs. Its severity lies in the fact that it is unpredictable. Such angina is more often fatal.
General description of the disease
The presented pathology is more often observed in elderly men, although it is often diagnosed in young people. To start timely treatment, you need to contact a cardiologist if you have the first heart problems.
Due to ischemic damage, which is often accompanied by a deterioration in the lumen of blood vessels, blood circulation in the body worsens. The coronary arteries are considered to be the most sensitive to this process. If a person is at rest, then he does not feel any discomfort.
The situation develops differently ifthere is an acceleration of blood flow during psychological or physical stress. Since the patency of the vessels is impaired, hypoxia of the heart appears, as well as other tissues and organs.
The amount of decay products in the circulatory system increases. This leads to poisoning of the heart muscle. The patient develops pain. An attack of unstable angina is an indication for immediate hospitalization. Pathology is protracted and difficult to treat.
If a patient suffers from a large number of vessels, he has an unfavorable prognosis for life.
Causes of occurrence
Treatment of unstable angina pectoris is carried out comprehensively, after the causes of its development are clarified. These include:
- Atherosclerosis of the blood vessels that feed the heart.
- Fall in blood pressure.
- Occlusion of a coronary vessel by a thrombus (while the lumen remains partially open).
- Decrease in antithrombotic properties of the endothelium.
- Excess body weight, in which the circulatory system is under high stress.
- Age-related dystrophic changes in tissues. They lose their tone, become thinner.
- Diabetes. With such a disease, the walls of blood vessels are seriously affected.
The risk group includes patients with excessive body weight, high cholesterol, hypertension, exacerbation of chronic processes, blood clots. Diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol abuse, heavy unhe althy food,excessive physical activity. The risk of developing angina increases after age 45.
Classification
The classification of unstable angina is:
- Arising for the first time. It is characterized by the onset of seizures less than 28 days ago. This is rest or exertion angina.
- Variant. This form is considered the most dangerous, as it precedes a heart attack.
- Progressive. It requires continuous maintenance medications.
- Post-infarction. It develops within 14 days after the attack. This type of pathology does not respond well to drug therapy. Significantly increased risk of death.
- Spontaneous. This attack is severe and lasts 15-20 minutes.
Whatever type of illness a patient has, it is a danger to his life, so treatment should not be delayed. Angina tends to progress, so it requires constant monitoring by doctors.
Symptoms of pathology
The presented pathology is characterized by vivid manifestations that cannot be ignored. The symptoms of unstable angina are:
- Prolonged pain syndrome, which has a compressive, pressing character and high intensity. It is able to give to the arm, shoulder blade, neck, lower jaw.
- Excessive sweating.
- Dizziness and fainting.
- Increased anxiety and fear of death.
- Shortness of breath at rest and on exertion, feeling short of breath.
- Increased heart rate.
CHD in unstable angina - clinical syndrome, pain in the area of the affected organ. Its duration and intensity increases. Often it becomes undulating. It becomes more difficult for a person to perform physical work. Medicines relieve the condition only for a short time. Unstable angina requires the use of an increased dosage of heart medications prescribed by a doctor.
Illness must be kept under control at all times, but sometimes you need to urgently seek medical help. An ambulance should be called if the patient has nausea and uncontrollable vomiting, severe weakness, cold sweat and pale skin.
Diagnostic features
According to the ICD, unstable angina has the code I20. Before starting treatment, the patient undergoes a comprehensive examination. To begin with, the doctor fixes the patient's complaints, collects an anamnesis. Additional information in unstable angina is provided by the medical history. The genetic factor in the development of pathology is being evaluated.
The following diagnostic methods are informative:
- Palpation in the region of the heart, listening to the respiratory organs.
- Biochemical and complete blood count.
- Ultrasound examination of the organ. It allows you to consider changes in its structure, expanding the size of the chambers.
- EKG. This study is carried out regularly.
- Daily monitoring of heart function. It takes place within 24-72 hours. The study allows you to determine the presence of cardiac ischemia.
- Myocardial scintigraphy. The state of the walls of the organ, as well as its cavities, is determined. Examination reveals necrotic areas in the heart.
- Angiography of coronary vessels. It makes it possible to determine the degree of patency of the arteries and consider the feasibility of their expansion due to stenting.
Only a thorough examination will determine the cause of the pathology and eliminate it. If the patient has pain, but there are no changes on the cardiogram, he is still hospitalized. Indicators may be somewhat late.
Diagnostics must be differential, as the presented pathology can be confused with a heart attack or blockage of the pulmonary artery. Here, the blood test for the presence of proteins is important.
Emergency
Unstable angina requires immediate medical attention. If the attack happened at home, then the person should be given emergency care:
- Put the victim on any surface (you can even on the ground).
- Unfasten buttons, ties, collar, remove excess clothing. It is necessary to ensure free access of air.
- Stay close to the patient, talk to him all the time to keep him from losing consciousness.
You can’t give any heart remedies on your own, because the symptoms can be blurred or the person will become worse. After the arrival of the doctors, they needexplain the situation in detail.
Specialists on the spot are obliged to prevent the death of the patient, alleviate and stabilize his condition. In the future, he is hospitalized.
Traditional treatment
If the unstable angina code according to ICD 10 is known, then the treatment regimen for the disease should now be considered. It is advisable to contact a cardiologist as soon as possible. Usually, therapy is carried out in a hospital, where it is possible to establish round-the-clock monitoring of the victim and, if necessary, perform an operation.
Unstable angina is treated with medication. The patient is prescribed the following medications:
- Anticoagulants: "Heparin". They avoid the formation of blood clots that close the lumen of the vessel.
- Diuretic. They are necessary if the patient has congestive heart failure, as well as swelling of the respiratory organs.
- Blood thinners: Cardiomagnyl, Aspirin if acetylsalicylic acid cannot be used.
- Drugs that eliminate pain: "Nitroglycerin".
- Calcium antagonists: "Nifedipine". Means of this type are prescribed for bradycardia, the development of severe pathologies of a systemic nature. The presented drugs are actively used in advanced atherosclerosis.
- Beta-blockers: Anaprilin, Betaloc. Drugs of this type eliminate ischemia of the heart muscle, haveantiarrhythmic action.
- Drugs that improve metabolic processes in myocardial tissues: Preductal, Trimetazidine.
- Hipolipidymic drugs: Crestor.
- Narcotic analgesics or neuroleptics. They are required only when the pain cannot be relieved by other means.
After stabilization of the patient's condition, therapy continues. It includes taking Aspirin and nitrates, as well as beta-blockers.
After 2-3 weeks of treatment, the patient is examined on a treadmill. This is how the body's resistance to physical activity is determined.
During an exacerbation, the patient needs complete rest. Even minimal physical activity is contraindicated. Effective is a specialized spa treatment. It is not cheap, but it can reduce the number of relapses.
The patient needs to take sedatives, as well as the help of a psychotherapist.
Surgery
Unstable angina is a difficult diagnosis. The patient is at increased risk of death. Often the patient is scheduled for surgery. The most common procedure is coronary aortic bypass surgery. Its purpose is to improve the flow of blood to the myocardium. The prognosis for a person becomes more favorable.
The operation is prescribed by the attending physician if there are such indications:
- Drugs don't work for a long time.
- Coronary vessels affected too much.
You should also take into account operational risk factors: the clinical form of the disease, the features of the coronary lesion, the index of left ventricular myocardial dysfunction.
In addition to shunting, other operations are prescribed for a person:
- Angioplasty with expanding balloon. The procedure is carried out through a catheter.
- Stenting. A stent is inserted into the lumen of the vessel, which prevents its narrowing.
Such an intervention is prescribed if the main trunk of the left coronary artery is half blocked in a person.
Using folk remedies
Effectiveness of drug therapy can be increased if alternative medicine recipes are additionally used. But this can be done only with the permission of the attending physician. Only folk remedies cannot be used.
The following recipes will be useful:
- Before each meal, you need to eat a piece of lemon peel. It produces an antithrombotic effect. 2 peels should be consumed per day. A significant improvement occurs within a week.
- Take equal amounts of aloe, lemon and honey juices. This should be done in a glass vessel. The mixture is placed in the refrigerator for a day. Drink the remedy should be 1 tbsp. three times a day. This is done 30 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is a month.
- Rub fir oil into the chest area every day. The tool must be preheated. Just 6-7 drops of oil is enough. The course of therapy is a month. The frequency of the procedure is once a day.
- Mix half a liter of vodka and fresh honey. Next, the mixture is heated and stirred until smooth. Separately, it is required to prepare a collection from an equal amount (1 tsp) of motherwort, cudweed, chamomile, valerian root, knotweed, steam 1 liter of boiling water. The liquid is infused and mixed with honey and vodka. It is necessary to take the remedy for 1 tbsp. l., twice a day, until it runs out.
Folk remedies are not a panacea, but they can improve the effect of drug treatment.
Possible complications and prevention
In the presence of unstable angina, the history of the disease allows you to trace the dynamics of the development of the pathology. Incorrectly prescribed treatment contributes to the development of complications. They pose a danger not only to he alth, but also to life.
Complications can be:
- Myocardial infarction, which often provokes death.
- Tachyarrhythmia or bradyarrhythmia.
- Insufficient functionality of the heart (decompensated).
- Extrasystole.
- Sudden death.
In the presence of unstable angina, the recommendations of doctors must be strictly followed.
To prevent the development of pathology, the following preventive measures should be observed:
- Eat right with low-calorie foods. You can't overeat. It is worth giving up fatty and smoked foods, fried foods, canned food and sausages, spices and s alt. The diet should contain vegetables and fruits. Excludedanimal fats, fast food, carbonated drinks.
- Quit alcohol and smoking. Alcoholic drinks and nicotine negatively affect not only the circulatory systems, but also the nerve endings.
- Protect the nervous system from stress, nervous shocks, strong emotional outbursts. The instability of the central nervous system only aggravates the situation, makes the heart work faster, more intensively.
- Stabilize body weight. If necessary, the patient will have to lose weight, since the heart will not be able to provide normal blood circulation. But it is better not to sit down on strict diets. The body must receive sufficient nutrients.
- Use anticoagulants prescribed by a doctor for preventive purposes. It is forbidden to use them on your own or change the dosage without the knowledge of a doctor.
- Control blood pressure. Hypertension negatively affects the circulatory system and the heart.
- Exercise. The load must be adequate and regular. But intensive sports will not work.
- Proper daily routine, sufficient rest and proper sleep are the key to he alth.
Symptoms and treatment of unstable angina should be known to every patient with this problem. The right behavior may one day save his life.
The presented pathology can significantly shorten the life of even a young person, so you need to carefully monitor your he alth. At the first heart problems, you should contact a cardiologist.
