The worlds largest quality of life study to-date has found one in three people dealing with chronic chest pain says it affects their daily lives.
The study appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals 29 percent of patients experience angina chest pain at least once a week, despite contemporary medical treatments. In addition, 60 percent say their pain has limited their enjoyment of life.
“Although quality assurance programs of chronic angina patients examine how well weight, cholesterol and blood pressure are controlled, the one symptom that patients complain aboutchest painhas no defined benchmark,” said the studys lead author John Beltrame.
Researchers say lifestyle modifications and medical treatments can help as many as 60 percent of angina sufferers become pain-free after a year.
Angina is a tightness in the chest that typically occurs with exertion and is due to a narrowing of a coronary artery. It can lead to heart attacks.
According to the Mayo Clinic, natural remedies for treating angina include a proper diet, exercise, weight loss and using relaxation and stress-reducing techniques.
In addition, such as L-arginine and L-carnitine may help reduce swelling in the arteries that causes them to narrow, which contributes to high blood pressure and chest pain.