Question

Question 18 Which of the following would help distinguish the difference between Angina Pectoralis and an Unstable Angina? O the presence of chest pain O detection of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries O the timing of the chest pain presenting All of the above

Answer 1

The correct answer is All the above.

Angina pectoralis is the pain or the discomfort in the chest. It occurs due to the insufficient or reduced blood supply to the heart muscle. When the heart doesn’t get enough blood pumped to the heart muscle, angina occurs. It may often radiate to the shoulder and neck. Angina pectoralis is also known as stable angina.

In the stable angina there is a stable plaque and the cardiac vessel lumen is narrowed by the increase in the size of atherosclerotic plaque. This reduces the blood supply to the heart. The heart functions normal until the patient performs some physical exercise which increase the oxygen requirement of heart. The reduced blood supply cannot cope up with the increased demand. The patient suffers from pain and discomfort after some exercise. It reduces on rest and usually short lived.

In the unstable angina the atherosclerotic plaque is unstable. It may dislodge itself from the place and obstruct a cardiac vessel which supplies blood to heart muscle. This cuts off blood supply to the heart muscle and causes severe pain. The pain is long lived and reduces after the blood supply is restored by removal of obstruction. The pain occurs at rest even and generally during night times when the patient is in the bed.

So, all the given three options help in differentiation of the angina pectoris and unstable angina.

This is a brief discussion on this topic. Hope this helps you out. Please feel free to give your feedback and if you need further elaborate explanation on this topic. Thank you and have a great day.