Now in its Fourth Edition, this bestselling title has been extensively revised and expanded to include the most up-to-date information on the diagnosis and treatment of angina.

*A clear and concise handbook for the diagnosis and management of chest painDesigned to give physicians an understanding of the underlying cause and how to treat it

*Convenient pocket size is designed for everyday use

From the Publisher
The wide range of conditions responsible for chest pain make it difficult to determine the single underlying cause and to decide upon the best possible plan of treatment. Physicians need a source that lists the possible diagnoses in a clear and concise format. Chest Pain is a quick-access handbook that includes chest pain in all adults and from all causes, including immediate assessment and treatment of acute causes of chest pain. Busy clinicians should find this book easy to use for this frequent but challenging complaint.

Chest pain can be terrifying. Many people hope that if they ignore it, it will go away. But angine must be taken seriously and this book will show you what to do about it and whether it means you are at risk for a heart attack. The book is also packed with useful advice about diet, exercise, and lifestyle, to help anyone with angina live life to the full.

About the Author
Dr. Tom SMith is an award winning medical journalist. He is the author of many other books including Heart Attacks: Prevent and Survive (1995.)

This book provides up-to-date research on Angina pectoris, which is commonly known as angina, and is a chest pain due to ischemia (a lack of blood and hence oxygen supply) of the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries (the heart’s blood vessels). Coronary artery disease, the main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries. The term derives from the Greek ankhon (”strangling”) and the Latin pectus (”chest”), and can therefore be translated as “a strangling feeling in the chest”. It is common to equate severity of angina with risk of fatal cardiac events. There is a weak relationship between severity of pain and degree of oxygen deprivation in the heart muscle (i.e. there can be severe pain with little or no risk of a heart attack, and a heart attack can occur without pain).

As the author, a practicing cardiologist, writes in his preface, this book fills the middle ground between the myriad volumes that tell you how to avoid coronary artery disease and those that tell you how to get rid of it once you have it. The book tells you how to live with the symptoms of the disease, especially the pain of angina pectoris. Unlike some medical books for a lay readership, this one strongly urges the reader to use it merely as a supplement to the advice, information, and treatment prescribed by a physician. Pantano defines and explains angina and its origin and manifestation, then briefly covers the risk factors leading to coronary artery disease. Treatment of angina with drugs and moderate exercise is recommended; if that fails, surgery may be necessary. Written with a light touch, the book is nevertheless sound and practical. Recommended for general health science collections.
- Eleanor Maass, Maass Assocs., New Milford, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.