What Are the Treatments for Prinzmetal's Angina?

Prinzmetal's angina is the rarest of three types of angina, accounting for only about 2 percent of cases. For people with Prinzmetal's angina, the bouts of extreme chest pain that typically characterize angina are experienced when at rest, often while sleeping. With other forms of angina, the bouts of chest pain are typically more predictable and occur when people are exercising or exerting themselves. The pain people with Prinzmetal's angina experience is the result of a coronary artery spasm.

Medications

• As with other types of angina, medication can be used to treat people with Prinzmetal's angina. Nitroglycerides are typically given for the extreme pain of an angina attack. Calcium channel blockers are also prescribed to help control the condition. Treatment goals center on reducing the frequency and severity of attacks.

Lifestyle Changes

• Patients can take some steps to live healthier lives and help diminish the effects of the condition. First, sufferers should quit smoking. Also, it's important to get more exercise and eat a healthier diet, which decreases a person's risk of heart disease and angina spasms.

Other Conditions

• Many angina patients also suffer from other heart conditions, such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. When being treated for Prinzmetal's angina doctors will typically try to treat all the conditions as effectively as possible. This may involve taking additional medications to help control blood pressure, for example, or undergoing procedures to clear artery blockage.

Symptoms

• In addition to the severe chest pain that is the hallmark of all types of angina, people with Prinzmetal's angina also may experience nausea and vomiting, chest pressure or tightness, difficulty breathing, sweating and lightheadedness. In addition, the pain associated with the condition is often felt beyond the chest. It can radiate to the neck, jaw, back, arms and shoulders.

Diagnosis

• As with many medical conditions, diagnosing Prinzmetal's angina often starts with a doctor performing a physical exam and taking a complete medical history, including asking questions about the angina symptoms a patient is experiencing. Diagnostic tests used to help diagnose Prinzmetal's angina include an electrocardiogram (EKG) and a coronary angiogram. An EKG measures heart rhythms, while a coronary angiogram is a special type of X-ray of the heart.

Prognosis

• With medication, Prinzmetal's angina can usually be successfully treated, reducing symptoms. However, because Prinzmetal's angina is closely related to coronary artery disease, outcomes can be related to the severity of the heart disease itself. Additionally, people with Prinzmetal's angina are more likely to develop cardiac arrhythmia, a condition that can, in rare cases, result in sudden death.