Vasospastic angina is a form of angina characterized by a sudden spasm within one of the coronary arteries that reduces blood flow to the heart and thereby causes pain. When blood vessels experience this sort of abrupt contraction, the artery momentarily narrows, depriving the heart of oxygen and nutrients and affecting the way in which the organ functions. The heart begins to palpitate and there can be a shortness of breath and some level of chest pain. A diagnosis of vasospastic angina is frequently treated by lifestyle changes as well as common heart medications and, when necessary, even surgery.
Lifestyle
For most people, vasospastic angina responds quite favorably to lifestyle changes often recommended with coronary artery disease and heart disease. Diet is one of the most common, so stick to a low-fat, low-sodium diet. By reducing the amount of fat, namely saturated fats, and sodium each day, you reduce the potential of both heart and coronary artery disease as well as lessen the chances of coronary spasms. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetable and whole grains while restricting highly processed foods, red meats and whole dairy.
Next to diet, exercise is another important facet to treating vasospastic angina. Include low-impact or less strenuous exercises into your daily routine, especially at the very beginning of this lifestyle change. Walking and biking are both great options, but swimming and water aerobics may also be great choices for you. Just talk to your doctor prior to engaging in any of these activities.
As you make changes to your diet and physical fitness, you should notice a decrease in weight, which can also go a long way to treating vasospastic angina. However, if you're significantly overweight, you may need to further restrict your caloric intake to shed the pounds, so talk to a dietician about a healthy weight loss plan.
Besides these more obvious lifestyle changes, take a look at other things that could be causing these coronary spasms. For some, it is a result of a medication, like peptide hormones or ergot alkaloids, so make sure your doctor is aware of all prescription and nonprescription substances you are currently using. For others, vasospastic angina is due to unhealthy habits, such as smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, so enroll in a cessation program to eliminate these substances from your body. Even stress management can help reduce the chance of this form of angina.
Heart Medications
While lifestyle changes greatly improve your health, many people need further options to treat vasospastic angina. The most common are standard heart medications, such as nitrates, statins, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors, so talk to your doctor about which medication is right for you. These medications widen the arteries by either relaxing the blood vessels or removing any buildup of plaque. This allows proper blood flow to the heart and reduces the chances of an arterial spasm.
Surgery
In much more severe cases of vasospastic angina, particularly due to a narrowing caused by plaque, you may need to have a surgical procedure to manually widen the affected artery. This is done by inserting a stent, which is a coil made of a wire mesh, which keeps the artery open and maintains proper blood flow. When blood flow is increased, the arterial wall is less likely to suffer from a spasm, causing vasospastic angina.
Tags: vasospastic angina, blood flow, lifestyle changes, your doctor, artery disease, blood flow heart