[Strategy of the medical treatment of angina pectoris]

The first objective is to correct any existing coronary risk factors but this must be achieved with discrimination. Smoking should be strictly forbidden, hypertension reduced and a more active life style encouraged. However, a more nuanced approach should be adopted towards dietetic problems, obesity and disorders of lipid metabolism. It is also very important to teach the patient to use glyceryl trinitrate correctly in the double objective of relieving pain as quickly as possible and of preventing pain by using it in certain critical situations. Clinical practice shows that patients often use glyceryl trinitrate too sparingly. When these general measures have been settled, treatment must be adapted to each particular situation. The patient's age, the frequency of attacks, trigger factors, the repercussions of the disease on the patient's life all have to be considered before deciding on the individual's treatment. In younger patients, a controlled exercise ECG is essential for selecting patients for surgery. The drugs of choice for stable angina are the betablockers which have been shown to be effective and well tolerated. When this group of drugs cannot be used or is ineffective, other major anti-anginal drugs may be chosen according to the individual terrain and their known secondary effects.