What to ask your doctor about angina and heart disease; Coronary artery disease - what to ask your doctor
Angina is pain, pressure, or other sensation in the chest that happens when your heart muscle is not getting enough blood and oxygen.
You sometimes feel it in your neck or jaw. Sometimes you may notice only that your breath is short.
Below are some questions you may want to ask your health care provider to help you take care of your angina.
What are the signs and symptoms that I am having angina? Will I always have the same symptoms?
How much exercise or activity can I do?
When can I return to work? Are there limits to what I can do at work?
What should I do if I feel sad or very worried about my heart disease?
How can I change the way I live to make my heart stronger?
Is it OK to be sexually active? Is it safe to use sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), or tadalafil (Cialis)?
What medicines am I taking to treat or prevent angina?
If I am taking aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), ticagrelor (Brilinta), prasugrel (Effient), or another blood thinner, is it OK to take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or other pain medicines?
It is OK to take omeprazole (Prilosec) or other medicines for heartburn?
Bonaca MP, Sabatine MS. Approach to the patient with chest pain. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 35.
Lawton J, Tamis-Holland J, et al. 2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for coronary artery revascularization: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79(2):e21-e129. PMID: 34895950 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34895950/.
Morrow DA, de Lemos JA. Stable ischemic heart disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 40.
Virani SS, Newby LK, Arnold SV, et al. 2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline for the management of patients with chronic coronary disease: a report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2023;148(9):e9-e119. PMID: 37471501 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37471501/.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 7/14/2024
Reviewed By: Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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