Hypoxia and Medicine

Is Prinzmental's Angina too Short, for Damage From Ischemia?

Public Comments

1. I wish it were so, but I believe that some patients may sustain enough ischemia to elevate cardiac enzymes indicating myocardial muscle tissue damage. My mom had a classic case of Prinzmetal's angina which showed up so well on cardiac cath with contrast study that the cardiology dept. presented her at conference. LOL [This was at a hospital where I was on staff in heme/onc and internal medicine.] Mom did not seem to damage her heart, and she is out 20 years from that cardiac study doing well on meds.
2. By definition, Prinzmetals angina, is a kind of angina that arises without previous provocation, such as physical strain and effort, and many times, can appear in the middle of the night, and when the patient is at rest, and even asleep. It is proven that is a "contraction" or spasm of the coronaries that, contrary to common angina, appears at rest. It causes changes in the cardiac enzymes, such as aspartate transferase, and Alanin transferase, however, troponin C, and specific cardiac lactic dehydrogenase remain within normal limits. It does NOT cause histlological nor structural damage to the heart, and if treated (by coronary bypass or stent), there is no electric scar in the EKG... However, Prinzmetal angina, is one ominous sign of a very possible furure coronary occlusion with infarction (dead of myocardial tissue), but Prinzmetal angina by definition, DOES NOT cause damage due to ischemia...otherwise, it would not be designated as "angine" but as Prinzmetal infarct...and that one has not been described so far.....