MVD angina

[desjsus1]

I’m a fit and healthy 49 yr old female with suspected microvascular disease and a pacemaker. I suffer from angina daily that I’ve been trying to manage through diet and exercise. It’s helped but I still suffer daily. Ironically, I work in the health care field as an RD in Canada. Does anyone else have MVD?

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hi desjsus1

Welcome

It is the early hours here in the UK and I am awake because I live with coronary vasospastic angina and I get most of my angina pain at rest in the night.

Microvascular angina and vasospastic angina are under recognised and poorly understood conditions.

It is important to be seen by a Cardiologist who has some knowledge and expertise into the conditions. It does usually need treatment with medication to help reduce the angina pain and prevent the increases risks associated with MVA and vasospastic angina.

Calcium channel blockers can be helpful as well as isosorbide mononitrate.

Beta blockers help some individuals with MVA but can make vasospasms worse for those with Vasospastic angina.

Statins and an anti-platelet therapy such as aspirin or clopidogrel are recommended too.

Exercise is thought to improve the function of the lining of the blood vessels.

Managing anxiety and stress is really important as emotional or mental stress can trigger angina.

Tai Chi, yoga, Mindfulness meditation and CBT are all useful techniques.

It unfortunately can take sometime to find a Cardiologist who has the skills and knowledge required to help so be prepared to be persistent.

The BHF has some up to date information about MVA and there are several BHF funded researchers actively researching into microvascular and vasospastic angina here in the UK.

My specialist is researching into microvascular dysfunction a possible underlying cause of some types of MVA and VA.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

There are quite a few of us on the forum who live with either MVA or Vasospastic angina some like me live with both which is less common.

I expect they will be along to share their knowledge and experience with you too.