What causes variant angina?

Honor Society of Nursing (STTI)

Narrowing of the blood vessels to the heart is the main cause of angina. This narrowing is usually the result of plaque buildup in the arteries, but it can be the result of a coronary artery spasm. When this happens, the angina is called variant angina. Use of cocaine, nicotine, and amphetamines can cause coronary artery spasms, and sometimes they are caused by other diseases such as lupus.

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Angina

Just a fancy name for chest pain or discomfort, angina often points to an underlying heart problem. Although you may experience pressure or a squeezing sensation in your chest, the feeling may also occur in your neck, jaw, shoulders, back or arms. These symptoms warn doctors that you may have coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart disease in adults. (The fatty material that causes heart disease restricts the arteries; this restriction causes a reduction of oxygenated blood to the heart muscles, leading to chest pain.) Not all chest pain is caused by heart problems. Angina can result from a lung infection, panic attack or even a blockage in an artery of the lung, called pulmonary embolism. Always see a doctor so he or she can determine why you are having chest pain.

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