Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Chronic stable angina clinical subset- walk through angina pectoris
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Walk through angina is the appearance of anginal chest discomfort early in the course of exertion which subsequently subsides despite continued exertion.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology
- The precise underlying mechanism of walk though angina remains unclear.
- It has been speculated that walk through angina may be due to an initial increase in coronary vascular tone with a consequent reduction in coronary blood flow at the beginning of exercise.
- It has also been speculated that recruitment of collaterals may also play a role in the walk through angina phenomenon.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Symptoms
In the majority of patients with obstructive coronary artery disease, the intensity of the anginal pain is proportional to the the intensity of physical activity, and the pain only subsides once physical activity ceases. However a subset of patients have walk through angina. Although these patients experience angina early in the course of physical activity (e.g. walking, gardening, and short running) it dissapears despite continuation of physical activity.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]