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Variant Angina - Coronary Artery Spasm
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
The coronary arteries are a pair of blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. A spasm in these arteries known as a vasospasm reduces blood flow to the heart. This causes a chest pain called angina.
What is going on in the body?
Most often, vasospastic angina occurs while a person is at rest or it wakes a person from sleep. Typical angina is linked with physical activity and caused by fat deposits clogging the arteries, or atherosclerosis. Vasospastic angina differs in that it can happen whether a person:
When the spasms occur, blood flow to the heart lessens. This causes the pain and raises the risk of a heart attack.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
The coronary arteries and other blood vessels may constrict due to:
Sometimes, strenuous activity can bring on an attack.