The key difference between unstable angina and myocardial infarction is that unstable angina is a medical condition that results in chest discomfort without warning due to an insufficient flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, while myocardial infarction is a medical condition where the heart muscles begin to die because it is not getting a required blood flow.
Acute coronary syndrome is a term that describes a range of medical conditions that is related to sudden reduced blood flow to heart muscles. These conditions may include unstable angina and heart attack (myocardial infarction). Unstable angina is not a severe condition, while myocardial infarction is a severe condition that can result in the death of heart muscles.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Unstable Angina
3. What is Myocardial Infarction
4. Similarities – Unstable Angina and Myocardial Infarction
5. Unstable Angina vs Myocardial Infarction in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Unstable Angina vs Myocardial Infarction
What is Unstable Angina?
Unstable angina is a condition that results in chest discomfort due to an insufficient flow of blood to the heart. It occurs as a part of the acute coronary syndrome. It is not severe enough to cause cell death of the heart or a heart attack. However, it may increase the risk of a heart attack. It is estimated that unstable angina occurs in approximately 200,000 Americans each year. This condition is caused due to plaque blockages, such as blood clots in one or more coronary arteries. Unlike stable angina, unstable angina happens without warning; it can happen even if people are resting or sleeping.
The symptoms of unstable angina may include tight pain in the chest, which may spread to the other regions, chest pain occurring even without exerting oneself, shortness of breath, chest pain that does not stop even after taking medicine, sweating, and anxiety. The risk factors for unstable angina include having high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, being a mal, having high blood pressure, being older, having a family history of heart disease, having diabetes, smoking, and obesity.
Myocardial infarction can be diagnosed through physical examinations, electrocardiograms, stress tests, blood tests, echocardiograms, and coronary angiographies. Furthermore, myocardial infarction is treated with nitroglycerin, blood thinners like aspirin, clopidogrel, heparin, medicines to help blood clots dissolve, angioplasty with stent implantation, and heart bypass surgery.
What is Myocardial Infarction?
Myocardial infarction is also known as a heart attack. It happens when heart muscles begin to die because it is not getting the required blood flow. Myocardial infarction may be due to a blockage in one of the blood vessels that supply the heart or without blockage (conditions such as coronary artery spasm, rare medical condition, trauma, obstruction that come from somewhere else in the body, electrolyte imbalance, eating disorder, takotsubo or stress cardiomyopathy, and anomalous coronary artery).
The symptoms of myocardial infarction may include chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, heart palpitation, anxiety, lightheadedness, dizziness, or passing out. The risk factors for this condition include age and sex (men older than 45 and women older than 50 are affected more), family history of heart disease, lifestyle choices (a diet high in sodium, sugar, and fat, smoking, drinking too much, drug use, low physical activity, having diabetes, and obesity) and having certain conditions or diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, history of preeclampsia, and eating disorders.
Myocardial infarction can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, blood test, electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), echocardiogram, angiogram, heart computed tomography (CT) scan, heart MRI, and nuclear heart scans such as PET scans. Furthermore, treatment options for myocardial infarction may include supplementation oxygen, lifestyle changes (quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, healthy diet, and regular exercise), anti-clotting medications, nitroglycerin, thrombolytic medications, anti-arrhythmia medications, pain relievers, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and surgeries like open heart surgery, bypass surgery.
What are the Similarities Between Unstable Angina and Myocardial Infarction?
- Unstable angina and myocardial infarction are both parts of acute coronary syndrome.
- Both conditions can be due to blockage in the coronary arteries.
- Both conditions can have similar symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, angina, etc.
- These conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination, electrocardiogram(EKG or ECG), echocardiogram, angiogram, heart computed tomography (CT) scan, heart MRI, etc.
- They are mainly treated through lifestyle changes, medications, and surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Unstable Angina and Myocardial Infarction?
Unstable angina is a medical condition resulting in chest discomfort without warning due to insufficient blood and oxygen flow to the heart. At the same time, myocardial infarction is a medical condition in which the heart muscles begin to die because it is not getting the required blood flow. Thus, this is the key difference between unstable angina and myocardial infarction. Furthermore, unstable angina is not a severe condition, while myocardial infarction is a severe condition.
The infographic below presents the differences between unstable angina and myocardial infarction in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Unstable Angina vs. Myocardial Infarction
Acute coronary syndrome is a term that refers to a spectrum of clinical conditions, including unstable angina and heart attack (myocardial infarction). They mainly occur when the blood supply to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked (coronary artery blockage). Unstable angina is a kind of chest discomfort or pain that occurs without warning. On the other hand, myocardial infarction refers to the death of heart muscles. So, this summarizes the difference between unstable angina and myocardial infarction.
Reference:
1. “Unstable Angina.” Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
2. Macon, Brindles Lee. “Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack): Symptoms and More.” Healthline.
Image Courtesy:
1. “ACS scheme” By User:Stevenfruitsmaak – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “A man having a Heart Attack” By Myupchar (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia