1. The following is a list of activities that people often do during the week. Although for some people with several medical problems it is difficult to determine what it is that limits them, please go over the activities listed below and indicate how much limitation you have had due to chest pain, chest tightness or angina over the past 4 weeks.
2. Over the past 4 weeks, on average, how many times have you had chest pain, chest tightness or angina?
3. Over the past 4 weeks, on average, how many times have you had to take nitroglycerin (nitroglycerin tablets or spray) for your chest pain, chest tightness or angina?
4. Over the past 4 weeks, how much has your chest pain, chest tightness or angina limited your enjoyment of life?
5. If you had to spend the rest of your life with your chest pain, chest tightness or angina the way it is right now, how would you feel about this?
This means that some of the heart's arteries are narrowed or blocked. This can reduce blood flow and cause angina (chest pain, tightness, or shortness of breath), and can worsen your physical function and quality of life. Sometimes blockages cause a heart attack or death.
You can reduce the risk of death or heart attack with a healthy lifestyle (diet and, exercise), not smoking, and medicines.
You can follow a healthy lifestyle and take medicines alone, or you can also get a coronary angiogram, where dye is injected into the heart's arteries to find the blockages. These may then be treated with stents (metal coils to prop open the artery) or heart bypass surgery. This is referred to as invasive treatment.
About 1 in 1000 people have a major complication such as a stroke, heart attack, or death.
These vary from patient to patient. You should discuss these with your doctor.
You and your doctor may choose to start or continue treatment with only medicines and lifestyle changes, or add invasive treatment. The pictures below show: