Angina is a symptom of an underlying heart disease. Angina pain is the result of reduced blood flow to heart muscle. Many activities or conditions can trigger angina.
Causes of Angina
Research suggests that angina pain start when the inner layers of the coronary arteries damages due to certain factors, they are:
- Smoking
- High cholesterol level
- High blood pressure
- High sugar level in the blood or diabetes
Plaque may start to build up at the location of damage arteries, which narrows or blocks the arteries, reduces blood flow to the heart muscle. Some plaques are harder and stable; causes the arteries to become narrow and stiff. This can reduce blood flow to the heart and cause angina.
Stable Angina causes
Physical exertion is the most common trigger of stable angina. Slightly narrowed arteries may allow enough blood to reach the heart when the demand for oxygen is low, that is when sitting. However, during exertion like walking or climbing stairs, the heart works harder and needs more oxygen.
Other triggering causes of stable angina include emotional stress, Exposure to extreme temperatures, Heavy food, Smoking.
Unstable Angina causes
Arteries that partially or totally block by a blood clot causes unstable angina. Blood clots may form and then partly dissolve, and later form again. Angina can occur each time a clot blocks an artery.
Variant Angina causes
A sudden contraction of the coronary artery; tighten and narrow the artery and slows or stops blood flow to the heart, causes variant angina. It may occur in people with or without CAD.
Causes of contraction in the coronary arteries are cold exposure, mental stress, blood-vessel narrowing medications, smoking, and cocaine.