Treatments for Variant Angina

Variant angina is one of the many forms of angina that often causes you to suffer from the "standard" pain or heaviness in the chest. With this particular condition, the coronary artery suffers a sudden spasm that momentarily tightens or narrows this passageway for your blood. This can deprive the heart of the necessary oxygen and nutrients it needs to properly function. Though this event is usually brief, it could be an indication of other potential problems, as well as even lead to a heart attack, making it very necessary to seek treatment for the condition.

Lifestyle

• When suffering from variant angina, start of by making a change in lifestyle. Diet, exercise and weight loss are all important and effective methods in treating not just this condition, but also the underlying cause of the event. Try to stick to a low-fat, low-sodium diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains while limited in red meats, processed foods (a huge source of sodium) and high-fat dairy. By changing your diet in this fashion, you're often able to shed those excess pounds.

  To further both the improvement of your health and weight loss, follow up this dietary change with a daily exercise regimen. As you begin working out, stick to less strenuous exercises like walking, swimming or biking. However, make sure to talk to your doctor about which fitness activities are truly the best for you. You may need to adhere to a specific exercise that won't put any additional strain on your heart.

  While diet, exercise and weight loss are very beneficial, look at other factors that could be contributing to variant angina. Smoking and alcohol consumption often cause issues involving the heart, so enlist in a cessation program and limit the amount you drink each day. Even stress can cause the coronary artery to spasm, making stress management another important facet of treatment.

Medicinal

• Besides necessary lifestyle changes, you'll also need to treat variant angina with prescription medication. Calcium channel blockers are by far the most common, but your doctor may suggest the use of nitrates along with this particular medication. By taking calcium channel blockers in conjunction with nitrates, you increase blood flow to the heart by widening the blood vessels.

  For others, it may be necessary to use other medications, like ACE inhibitors, beta blockers or statins. With these medications, blood vessels are also widened, but it's through lessening the restriction or preventing plaque from forming along the arterial walls.