Angina, the feeling of pain or tightness in the chest, is one of the most common heart problems in the UK. It is also one of the scariest, as it can be a prelude to a heart attack.
But a group of doctors are deliberately triggering the symptoms of angina in patients in their hospitals. “We are simulating an angina attack,” said Professor Rasha Al-Lamee, a cardiologist at Imperial College London.
This world-first study is for a good reason – to understand more about exactly what is causing the chest pain, and how it can best be treated.
Angina is usually caused when the arteries to the heart become narrowed by plaques. Most of the time, the heart can cope with this reduced blood supply – but during exertion, perhaps just from climbing stairs, the heart works harder and so needs more oxygen.
That narrowing means the heart can’t get enough blood – triggering the feelings of pain and gripping tightness in the chest called an angina attack.
