Watch out for a heart attack in winter...How to deal with squeezing pain angina?
Feb 07, 2025
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Park, a housewife in her 50s who was usually confident in her health, headed to the emergency room due to chest pain in the early morning of the cold winter.
The doctor's diagnosis is angina. The cause was that the blood vessels suddenly narrowed and the heart was not properly supplied with the blood it needed. In winter, the risk of these cardiovascular diseases increases, and understanding and prevention are important.
Angina occurs when the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle are narrowed or blocked, and sufficient oxygen is not delivered to the heart.
Symptoms usually appear as chest pain, which can be accompanied by squeezing pain extending from the solar plexus to the neck, and pain radiating to the shoulders and arms.
Angina pectoris is largely divided into two categories: stable angina pectoris shows symptoms during physical activity or stress and disappears during stability, while unstable angina pectoris causes pain without any activity and is a dangerous condition that is likely to lead to myocardial infarction.
"In winter, cold weather causes blood vessels to contract and blood pressure to rise, putting a burden on the heart," said Lee Young-min, head of the Department of Circulatory Medicine at Good Kangan Hospital. "Especially when the temperature drops sharply at dawn or in the morning, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease increases."
Due to these environmental factors, the number of angina patients often increases rapidly in winter. Angina pectoris occurs due to various factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and stress, and arteriosclerosis is the main cause. In addition, drinking and sudden temperature changes can also harm blood vessel health. In particular, smoking increases the risk of angina by causing vasoconstriction, so smoking cessation is essential.
Typical symptoms of angina include compression or burning pain in the center of the chest, pain spreading to the neck and shoulders, arms, and jaw, shortness of breath, cold sweat, and nausea. If these symptoms persist for more than 5 minutes, you should visit a hospital immediately, and prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin can be used.
However, if symptoms do not improve, you should visit the emergency room without delay. Stable angina can usually be managed with medication, and procedures such as stent insertion may be performed as needed. On the other hand, unstable angina is considered an emergency and may require immediate procedures or surgery before progressing to myocardial infarction.
Lifestyle management is important to prevent angina. In cold weather, wear scarves and gloves when going out to prevent vasoconstriction, reduce fat and salt intake, and maintain a diet that frequently consumes fresh vegetables and fruits. Exercise steadily three times a week for at least 30 minutes a day, but do not overdo it, and practice smoking cessation and abstaining from alcohol. In addition, it is essential to regularly check and manage risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. If you have already been diagnosed with angina, you should take the prescribed drugs steadily and check your condition through regular checkups.
Chief Lee Young-min said, `In winter, even mild chest pain should not be neglected, but should seek professional help"Proper prevention and management are the beginning of a healthy life. Now, start a health habit for your heart."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
