angina

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angina (an-jy-nă) n. a sense of suffocation or suffocating pain. a. pectoris pain in the centre of the chest, which is induced by exercise and relieved by rest and may spread to the jaws and arms. Angina pectoris occurs when the demand for blood by the heart exceeds the supply of the coronary arteries and it usually results from coronary artery atheroma. It may be prevented or relieved by such drugs as glyceryl trinitrate and propranolol or by surgery (see angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft). See also Ludwig's angina.

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