Tag: acetylcholine testing

Research

A Short History of Vasospastic Angina

The syndrome of chest pain and/or myocardial ischemia with normal or nonobstructive coronary arteries at angiography is common and is of practical importance to the general medical audience. Many studies have tried to address this topic over the last 4 decades. Only 1 thing is clear: for patients with ongoing signs and symptoms of ischemia in acute coronary syndromes, the prognosis is not so favorable, as believed earlier in the 1990s. Yet, physicians remain confused by other patients who refer a history of effort angina or angina-like chest pain whose coronary angiograms show no evidence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and who have no structural heart disease.

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Around The World

Real Patient Stories

Sandra’s story

My story began in January 2010, while sitting at a traffic light returning to the office. I was working as a home health physical therapist. I began having chest pain out of nowhere. I got to my office and my boss, an RN, asked me if I was OK. I told her about the chest pain. By then it was starting to progress down my left arm. She took my blood pressure, normally 98/68. It was 140/90. She called my husband and told him to meet me at the ER. I drove myself there. They ran the normal tests and diagnosed me with costochondritis. Pain meds made the symptoms go away. The pain came back six times in the next 6 months. I asked for a cardiologist referral, but was denied, due to my age (39), lack of family history, and being in shape.

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Arthur’s story

My name is Arthur. I am a Scot but have lived in London for nearly forty years.

In 2014, I had my first heart attack. In the following six years, I went to A&E at least twice a year. Every time, I was sent home and was told it was reflux.

My own doctor in about 2015/16 put me on half an angina pill. When I was in hospital, I was told by the cardiology doctors that I did not need it as I never had angina at all.

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Barbara’s story

I am a 62-year-old retired physician. My story began at age 47.

I was a very busy practicing OB/Gyn physician who was otherwise healthy.

I was on call at the hospital, and it was turning out to be one of the busiest days I had ever experienced as a physician. I was in a medical group that took call for 24 hours straight, most of the time working the entire 24 hours.

Halfway through that 24-hour call, I was in the operating room doing a C/Section on a patient. Halfway through the surgery I began to feel crushing chest pain.

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