The media today concentrates intensely on drug and alcohol abuse, homicides, AIDS and so on. What a lot of people are not realizing is that coronary heart disease actually accounts for about 80% of all sudden deaths. In fact, the number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, accidents, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others, COMBINED.

One of the symptoms of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not take it seriously, and thus not realizing that it may lead to other complications, and even death.

In order to understand angina, one must know about our own heart. The human heart is a powerful muscle in the body which is worked the hardest. A double pump system, the heart consists of two pumps side by side, which pump blood to all parts of the body. Its steady beating maintains the flow of blood through the body day and n

The operation itself incorporates making an incision down the length of the breastbone in order to expose the heart. The patient is connected to a heart-lung machine, which takes over the function of the heart and lungs during the operation and also keeps the patient alive. At the same time, a small incision is made on the leg to remove a section of the vein.

Pantano, James A. LIVING WITH ANGINA, New York, Harper & Row, 1990.

The coronary arteries may be clogged with atherosclerotic plaques, thus narrowing the diameter. Plaques are usually collections of connection tissue, fats, and smooth muscle cells. The plaque project into the lumen, the passageway of the artery, and interfere with the flow of blood. In a normal artery, the smooth muscle cells are in the middle layer of the arterial wall; in atherosclerosis they migrate into the inner layer. The reason behind their migration could hold the answers to explain the existence of atherosclerosis. Two theories have been developed for the cause of atherosclerosis.

Angina patients are usually prescribed at least one drug. Some of the drugs prescribed improve blood flow, while others reduce the strain on the heart. Commonly prescribed drugs are nitrates, beta-blockers, and Calcium antagonists. It should be noted that drugs for angina only relief the pain, it does nothing to correct the underlying disorder.

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