Angina Affects Millions, Prevents Many From Participating In Everyday Life

(NAPSA)-Help is on the way for the 6.4 million Americans who suffer from angina, a heart condition marked by ongoing attacks of chest pain or discomfort.

The impact of angina is significant, according to a new national survey, which found that more than half of chronic angina patients have difficulty with even the basic everyday things that most people take for granted, such as climbing stairs or doing housework. The nationwide survey, which polled 1,141 people, half of whom had angina, also found that angina affects patients' families, who worry more and more and have to take on added family responsibilities.

Now these patients and families have a new source of help and support from a unique "tag team"-the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) and Olympic gold medalist and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Kurt Angle, whose own family has been devastated by heart disease. PCNA has created "Get Tough on Angina," a national program of educational resources that can help patients and families better cope with the impact of angina.

"I am proud to speak out and raise awareness of this condition," said Angle. "Several members of my family have suffered from angina and other forms of heart disease and I have seen the stress of the physical and emotional effect on them and our family."

Chronic angina is a serious and debilitating heart condition, according to Barbara Johnston Fletcher, R.N., M.N., president-elect of PCNA. She noted that even though the condition can be treated, patients continue to experience repeated and sometimes unpredictable attacks of chest pain or discomfort, brought on by physical exertion or intense emotion, that affect their quality of life. "Patients also cut back on their activities to try to avoid attacks, essentially downsizing their lives."

"Get Tough on Angina" provides a number of resources, including a free handbook, which details practical information on how patients can better cope with the impact of angina on their daily lives, and a special Web site, www.LifeHeart.com, with educational information and answers to frequently asked questions. Fletcher noted that, "In our experience working with patients who have angina, we have found that information is a powerful tool to help them understand their condition and find ways to better cope with it. That is why we have created the 'Get Tough on Angina' program."

"Angina is a growing issue as the population ages, since it is most prevalent in people over age 55," said Nieca Goldberg, M.D., director of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, and a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association. "More than 400,000 people are told each year by their physicians that they have angina, so we really need to find ways to help these individuals manage their health."

For more information about the "Get Tough on Angina" program or to receive free copies of materials, call toll-free 1-866-488-1212 or visit www.LifeHeart.com.

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