I’ve been diagnosed with MVA but seem to fit symptoms of prinzmetal angina. Can anyone share their experiences of either of these early on?

[Barkingmad3]

I have Raynauds syndrome and when first experienced pain I’d been having bad headaches. The chest pain always radiates to my jaw and the last cluster of episodes was in the night. My age and profile fits both

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

My fellow HearStar Milkfairy suffers from MVA and I imagine will be online at some point to offer you useful advice.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to MichaelJH]

Correction Michael I live with both Vasospastic and Microvascular angina....how unlucky am I 😊

[Barkingmad3 in reply to MichaelJH]

Hi MichaelJH thank you

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hello Barkingmad3

Welcome to the forum

The symptoms of Microvascular angina and Vasospastic angina the term now being used to describe Printzmetal/ variant/ coronary artery spasms can be similar.

I live with Vasospastic angina and I also have Raynauds Phenomenon and migraine too.

How has your microvascular angina been diagnosed?

I had a very specialised angiogram which showed I had vasospasms in my coronary blood vessels.

My 24 hour ECG showed changes too.

The BHF has this information about Vasospastic angina

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Milkfairy]

See also this BHF info about MVA

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Barkingmad3 in reply to Milkfairy]

Hi Milkfairy, thanks for your reply. I’m still undergoing investigations as angiogram, echo and MRI all essentially normal. The diagnosis is from symptoms and good response to GTN I gather. Initially presented as heart attack with raised troponin and ST segment elevations on ECG. This occurred during a holiday. Now this all normal. Recently had readmission with episodes of early morning clusters of pain all responding to GTN but increasing frequency.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Barkingmad3]

Those of us living with Microvascular and vasospastic angina are at risk of a Myocardial infarction with non obstructive coronary arteries MINOCA

ahajournals.org/doi/full/10...

With a history of ST elevations and raised Troponin levels that is more typical of Vasospastic angina rather than Microvascular angina.

I would suggest you discuss this with your Cardiologist.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Milkfairy]

Do you have any copies of your ECGs with your ST elevations?

I keep copies of mine. Also my Angiogram with acetylcholine which also showed ST elevations which only usually happen with a Coronary artery vasospasm not microvascular dysfunction/ angina

[Barkingmad3 in reply to Milkfairy]

I was initially diagnosed with myocarditis but as this was when I was on holiday I don’t have copies of ECG’s. My cardiologist at home when I reoccurring chest pain thought microvascular ischaemia likely possibly as a result of myocarditis. He’s piecing together info from Dorset, started meds and will review my progress in 4 weeks but I’d spotted the link with Raynauds and possibly the headaches I’d been getting prior to being taken ill. ECG’s now sinus rhythm and troponin normal. How long did it take to get the meds right to control the pain and get your life back? I know it’s individual

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Barkingmad3]

I suggest you contact the hospital who treated you for your heart attack and ask for your medical records and ECGs

I have lived with Vasospastic angina for 8 years and it is a challenging condition to live with and treat. The condition is often over looked and under recognised.

Beta blockers can make vasospastic angina worse.

Where are you based in the UK?

[Barkingmad3 in reply to Milkfairy]

I might well do that. I’m in the West Midlands. Yes I’d read about beta blockers making it worse too. I’ve read a lot over the last couple of weeks as I started to feel better and it’s quite scary.

[iggytiggy]

Hello, I was recently diagnosed with MVA, and I find that the pain does radiate, for me it's more often to my back and I feel a tightness across my chest.

[Barkingmad3 in reply to iggytiggy]

Thanks for sharing, it’s useful. I get back pain and tightness if I try to do much but the severe pain is a burning/ tightness that always radiates to jaw