Risk Factors
Even if prinzmetal angina is in most cases caused because by coronary artery disease, it is not always te rule, it can occur even without coronary artery disease and be triggered buy some other illness. However, coronary artery disease is in most cases the trigger of spasms and as well prinzmetal angina. Risk factors that triggers coronary artery disease may include:
- Harmful levels of cholesterol
- High blood pressure levels
- Smoking cigarettes
- Insulin resistance syndrome
- Diabetes
- Overweight
- Morbid obesity
- Cardiometabolic syndrome
- The lack of exercise and poor physical condition
- Aging
- Family heritage of various heart diseases
Prinzmetal Angina Syptoms
There are several symptoms that might lead to prinzmetal angina. People who suffer from prinzmetal angina usually experience a chest pain described like squeezing, pressure or tightness in the chest, with epicenter behind the breastbone.
This attacks mostly occur early in the morning, somewhere between midnight and 6 am, while you are at rest. The pain can lest from 5 minutes to half an hour, and in cases of experiencing a long term pain, you should immediate visit your doctor.
Pain that begins in chest can spread to the whole upper part of body, it starts behind the breastbone, and spread to the throat and jaw, arms and shoulders, but it can also cause a discomfort in stomach which can lead to indigestion.
However, each individual can experience different kind of pain, and people usually can't describe how it looks like, and even where exactly do they feel the pain.
Prinzmetal angina syptoms may also occur as:
- rapid heartbeat (palpitations),
- stomach discomfort (nausea),
- tiredness (fatigue),
- fainting and loss of consciousness,
- short breath,
- lightheadedness
- weakness and
- sweating
Who is affected with Prinzmetal Angina?
It is hard to say how many people suffer from prinzmetal angina, since this illness is very rare. The number of Americans that are affected with coronary artery disease and prinzmetal angina is somewhere about 40 in a million. Only 1 out of 50 angina patients is affected with prinzmetal angina. The interesting statistic information leads to conclude that men are more affected than woman, somewhere around 80% of patients are male.
While stable angina more affects older population, younger people are more likely to have prinzmetal angina, average years of prinzmetal angina patient are about 45 to 55 years.
The risk of prinzmetal angina will increase for men population after 45 years, while for woman it starts a decade later, after 55 years of age.