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[Headache as a symptom of angina]
J Tomcsányi1, A Wettstein, M Somlói
1Országos Korányi TBC és Pulmonológiai Intézet, Budapest.
Orvosi Hetilap
|February 12, 1998
Insights
Headaches can be the sole symptom of severe myocardial ischemia, a heart condition. This suggests pain perception, not just blood vessel spasms, is key in headache angina.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Myocardial ischemia, a critical reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle, can present with atypical symptoms.
- Headache is not a commonly recognized primary symptom of cardiac events.
Observation:
- Two patients presented with headaches as their only symptom of severe myocardial ischemia.
- Both patients exhibited high-degree coronary artery sclerosis, indicating significant blockages in the heart's arteries.
Findings:
- Angiocardiography confirmed severe coronary artery sclerosis in one patient.
- Autopsy revealed severe coronary artery sclerosis in the second patient.
- The findings suggest that in headache angina, pain perception mechanisms are more critical than generalized vasospasm.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider myocardial ischemia in patients presenting with unexplained headaches, especially those with cardiac risk factors.
- This highlights the complex interplay between cardiac events and neurological symptoms, emphasizing the role of individual pain perception.
Abstract:
The authors report two cases where headaches was the only manifestation of severe myocardial ischemia. They had high degree coronaria sclerosis which was demonstrated by angiocardiography in one patient and at autopsy in the second patient. These findings suggest that in the mechanism of headache angina rather the pain perception than generalized vasospasm plays an important role.