Does Chest Pain Relief with Nitroglycerin Mean Coronary Artery Disease?
Chest pain is a common symptom that can be caused by several conditions. Cardiac causes of chest pain, such as angina and heart attack, are serious and usually require prompt medical attention and treatment. Other causes of chest pain, such as spasm of the esophagus or inflammation of the chest wall, may be less serious and require different treatment than does chest pain related to heart conditions. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis is important to guide proper treatment of patients with chest pain. Nitroglycerin, a drug that dilates blood vessels, is commonly used to relieve chest pain caused by coronary artery disease. It also relaxes the smooth muscles of vessels and can relieve chest pain from esophageal spasm. Because of its different actions, researchers wonder whether relief of acute chest pain with nitroglycerin reliably indicates that pain was caused by coronary disease.
