Is angina a precursor to myocardial infarction? What is the difference between the two? What is the cause of the disease?

Lao Zhang is in his 50s. He usually likes drinking and smoking. He was diagnosed with three highs a few years ago. Later, he found that he had metabolic syndrome. His family advised him to quit smoking and drinking, but to no avail. Lao Zhang thought it was the same as drinking and smoking. It doesn’t matter, because it’s not hard to drink and smoke. As a result, I was a little tired after working overtime on weekends. After drinking half a bottle of white wine, I didn’t expect to suddenly feel pain in my chest, I couldn’t breathe, and even felt like I was dying.

The family saw and asked about his condition, but Lao Zhang was speechless. His son hurriedly drove him to the hospital and was diagnosed with myocardial infarction. More than 90% of the left anterior descending artery was infarcted. It is recommended to intervene as soon as possible, otherwise it may be life-threatening. Although the operation was successful in the end, Zhang and his family felt that their problem was not serious, because they had never had a heart attack and thought their chest pain was just ordinary angina.

When it comes to heart disease, there is a topic that cannot be avoided, that is, myocardial infarction, which is a disease with a very high fatality rate, but this disease is often similar to angina pectoris. Eventually there is an irreversible problem.

Sudden conditions with a mortality rate of 30%: myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction and angina pectoris are two very similar diseases. This is a sudden and complete blockage of the coronary arteries, blood cannot flow smoothly, and the supply of oxygen is stopped, resulting in myocardial cell necrosis.

A person who was alive and well and had no symptoms suddenly suffered a heart attack one day. His chest seemed to be run over by a truck or pressed by a hot tongs, and the pain was so painful that he rolled on the ground, sweated, and had difficulty breathing. This state continued. More than 30 minutes, this is the typical symptoms of myocardial infarction. In addition, some people may appear pale, feel nauseous or vomit, have strong feelings of unease and fear, and even faint.

These symptoms are very scary, but there are also many elderly or diabetic patients who may not experience any pain, in which case the patient may quickly become unconscious and even die.

Myocardial infarction is mostly sudden onset of acute myocardial infarction. About 150,000 people suffer from it every year, and 30% of them will die. It is a terrible disease. Generally speaking, within three hours after the onset of the disease is the golden rescue time, and it must be dealt with in time.

If you have such symptoms, please do not hesitate to call an ambulance immediately. Now many hospital ambulances have updated equipment. If there is an electrocardiogram, the disease can be diagnosed directly in the car.

There are many direct factors that induce myocardial infarction, such as: overwork, high work and life pressure, lack of sleep, anxiety and depression, overeating and so on. In addition, in winter when the indoor and outdoor temperature difference is severe, and in summer when the outdoor is hot and stuffy, and the indoor and outdoor temperature difference is relatively large, it is also easy to burden the heart, and the number of cases will also tend to increase.

What is the difference between angina pectoris and myocardial infarction?

Angina pectoris and myocardial infarction are actually ischemic heart disease. Ischemia refers to the lack of blood. Whether it is angina pectoris or myocardial infarction, it is because the blood cannot reach the coronary arteries that supply nutrients to the heart muscle, thus causing chest pain and Stress disease.

These two diseases are more common now, and they are also prone to accidents, which cannot be ignored. However, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction are different in degree and have different prognosis. Relatively speaking, the prognosis of angina pectoris is better, while the prognosis of myocardial infarction is poor, so accurate judgment Disease can prevent death.

So what’s the difference between the two?

Angina pectoris is a condition in which the coronary arteries are narrowed, but there is still blood flow, and myocardial ischemia is not necrotic; Heart problems get worse, a vicious cycle.

The pain caused by myocardial infarction is so severe that it will make people have a near-death experience, which is not comparable to angina pectoris.

The chest pain and pressure caused by angina pectoris can be relieved in about 10-15 minutes as long as there is quiet rest, but myocardial infarction will last for more than 30 minutes, and even quiet rest will not improve. Myocardial infarction can be life-threatening, so if it happens, call emergency care right away.

It was previously thought that myocardial infarction will develop after severe angina pectoris, and the relationship between the two is gradual. However, studies in recent years have found that even people who do not suffer from angina pectoris are very likely to develop myocardial infarction suddenly.

Here is a detailed explanation of the difference between the two:

Angina pectoris: The state of heartache seems to be a tight pain or a dull pain. The pain is a gradually increasing state, and the duration is generally short, between 5-15 minutes.

The reason is that the coronary arteries are narrowed, the blood circulation is deteriorated, and the myocardium is in a state of temporary ischemia. Generally, the timing of occurrence is after labor. If you take a short rest, you can recover. Eating nitroglycerin during the attack can play a role.

Myocardial infarction: The state of heartache seems to be a severe burning pain. The pain often appears suddenly and lasts for a long time, more than 30 minutes.

The reason is that the coronary arteries are blocked, the blood circulation is deteriorated, or even completely blocked, and the heart muscle is in a state of necrosis. Before the occurrence of myocardial infarction, there is no great incentive, and it has nothing to do with labor. Therefore, the symptoms of myocardial infarction have no effect even if they rest. , Eating nitroglycerin during an attack is generally ineffective.

Myocardial infarction due to rupture of atherosclerotic plaque

Knowing the difference between the two, what causes myocardial infarction?

The pathogenesis of myocardial infarction is actually not complicated. It is mainly related to daily life habits, such as continuous overeating, high fat intake, insufficient exercise, like smoking, heavy drinking and other lifestyles. Fat and bad cholesterol in the blood will be reduced. It will attach to the blood vessels, so macrophages will start to engulf these substances and directly attach to the lining of the blood vessels, forming soft and elastic atherosclerotic plaques.

Smoking and heavy drinking can damage blood vessels, causing these plaques to rupture or peel at a certain point, so that platelets and white blood cells assemble to repair this part and form a thrombus, or blood clot. The principle is the same as when a scrape or cut bleeds, the wound scabs to stop the bleeding.

When the thrombus grows larger and completely blocks the blood vessel, the blood flow to the front is interrupted, the supply of oxygen is stopped, and the heart muscle cells die. If this phenomenon occurs in the coronary arteries around the heart, it is a myocardial infarction, and if it occurs in the cerebral arteries, it is a cerebral infarction, because the blood clot formed in the heart may also flow to the brain.

If you continue to live an unhealthy life, the blood will become thick due to a large amount of fat and cholesterol, which will worsen the blood flow and become a state that is prone to thrombosis. There are blood vessels all over the body, so it is impossible to predict where a blood clot will occur. In order to avoid sudden death due to the formation of blood clots in the heart and brain, it is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Before the end of the article, we are looking at Lao Zhang’s problem. The reason for his disease is his long-term bad habits, especially he likes drinking and smoking. In the case of his own three highs, it is easy to form plaques. Smoking and heavy drinking can lead to blood vessels. Abnormal contraction, accelerated thrombus formation, and finally formed myocardial infarction, so he and his family believed that angina pectoris must come first. can cause terrible diseases.