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Heart and Cholesterol Information

Angina

Angina pectoris, commonly known as angina, is chest pain due to ischemia (a lack of blood, thus a lack of oxygen supply and waste removal) of the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries (the heart's blood vessels). Coronary artery disease, the main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries. The term derives from the Latin angina ("infection of the throat") from the Greek ankhonē ("strangling"), and the Latin pectus ("chest"), and can therefore be translated as "a strangling feeling in the chest".

There is a weak relationship between severity of pain and degree of oxygen deprivation in the heart muscle (i.e., there can be severe pain with little or no risk of a heart attack, and a heart attack can occur without pain).

Worsening ("crescendo") angina attacks, sudden-onset angina at rest, and angina lasting more than 15 minutes are symptoms of unstable angina (usually grouped with similar conditions as the acute coronary syndrome). As these may herald myocardial infarction (a heart attack), they require urgent medical attention and are generally treated as a presumed heart attack.

High Cholesterol

Hypercholesterolemia is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is closely related to the terms "hyperlipidemia" (elevated levels of lipids in the blood) and "hyperlipoproteinemia" (elevated levels of lipoproteins in the blood).

Cholesterol is a specific fat molecule, see the diagrammatic structure at the right. It is one of the several fat molecules which all animal cells utilize to construct their membranes and is manufactured within all animal cells. It is also the basis of all the steroid hormones.

Elevated cholesterol in the blood involves abnormalities in the protein particles which transport all fat molecules, including cholesterol, within the water of the bloodstream. This may be related to diet, increased body fat, genetic factors (such as LDL receptor mutations in familial hypercholesterolemia) and the presence of other diseases such as diabetes and an underactive thyroid. The type of hypercholesterolemia depends on which type of particle (such as low-density lipoprotein) is present in excess.

Some have proposed that hypercholesterolemia can be treated by reducing dietary cholesterol intake. Administration of certain medications which reduce cholesterol production or absorption is usually more effective. Rarely other treatments including surgery (for particular severe subtypes) are performed.

Heart and Cholesterol Medication Information

Simvastatin

Simvastatin is a hypolipidemic drug used to control elevated cholesterol, or hypercholesterolemia. It is a member of the statin class of pharmaceuticals. Simvastatin is a synthetic derivate of a fermentation product of Aspergillus terreus. The drug is marketed under the trade name Zocor, as well as generically.

The primary uses of simvastatin is for the treatment of dyslipidemia and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. It is recommended to be used only after other measures such as diet, exercise, and weight reduction have not improved cholesterol levels.