Who's using the Angina Plan?

'I thought angina was an old woman's disease'
Ian Lamming
27/12/2002

Hazel Roe looks the picture of health. She doesn't drink, she doesn't smoke, she eats well and she cycles. In fact she's the last person anyone would expect to have heart problems.

But somewhere in her makeup, lurking at the genetic level, there is a flaw and for reasons as yet unknown by medical science, there is something that makes her prone to arterial furring known as artheroma. And it's a family failing: her father died from coronary problems.

"At first I thought the pains were just down to stress," says Hazel, of Clifton Road, Darlington. "It started last summer when I was cycling, I found it was a real problem and I suffered horrendous chest pains."

She was admitted to the town's Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic where she underwent tests and a scan. This revealed the cause - coronary heart disease (CHD) - the gradual blocking of the arteries to the heart with the fatty deposit artheroma that reduces the amount of oxygen the organ receives and causes pain known as angina.

CHD remains the biggest cause of death in the country and affects ten per cent of the population in the North-East. Nationally, it kills more than 110,000 people a year, 41,000 under the age of 75. More than 1.4 million people in the UK suffer from angina.

"It was such a shock to be told I had angina, I was petrified," she recalls. "That was that, I thought, I would sit around waiting to have a heart attack. Some days I just didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't dare go out and just wanted to stay at home in case I had an attack. I started to get panic attacks too and ended up in hospital twice. I always thought it was an old woman's disease - I was just 54 and thought I was pretty fit." Hazel became one of the first patients to be referred to the angina plan, a pioneering project which has helped 119 sufferers this year. Based on eight years research, it is designed to improve the quality of life by helping patients physically and mentally. It aims to answer their questions, reduce the symptoms and prevent more serious problems occurring. It includes a written plan, relaxation audiotapes and the help of a specialist nurse. The aim is to present the facts, dispels the myths, increases fitness levels and make the patient feel more in control.

"A lot of people think angina is a mini heart attack when it's not," says the clinic's lead doctor for heart disease, GP Sally Stone. "It's caused by a lack of oxygenated blood getting to the heart so it's a bit like getting cramp. So they sit in their armchairs and do less and less.

"Exercising helps the body adapt. You can actually grow extra blood vessels around the blockage called collaterals. With angina there's nothing wrong with the heart, it's the arteries. Exercising makes the heart work more efficiently."

The turning point in Hazel's life was going on the angina plan which involved changing her lifestyle and a weekly meeting with coronary heart disease specialist nurse Barbara Conway. She believes there is no reason why most people cannot lead a healthy active life, given the right support.

"Angina isn't a disease, it's a symptom, a warning sign," says Barbara, who is employed by Darlington Primary Care Trust. So Hazel changed her diet, cutting down on sweets, cakes and biscuits, cutting out red meat completely and eating more fruit and vegetables.

Muscles - and the heart is a muscle - need less oxygen when they are fit, so Hazel also attended the Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Service at Darlington Borough Council's Eastbourne Leisure complex, one of the first joint health/leisure ventures in the country. There, under supervision, she exercised on the treadmill and bike.

Arteries open wider when the body is relaxed and tighten when stressed, so Hazel has also learned how to relax using the angina plan audiotapes and a special breathing technique. After the 12 week rehabilitation programme, she completed another 16 week course, through her GP, known as exercise on referral, which involved using the gym six days out of seven.

"I feel so much better," says Hazel. "I feel like I am in control of my angina. I use the angina plan like a bible, I'm always looking things up in it. And just as important as the exercise is developing a positive mental attitude."

"We help them understand that it's not about finding a quick fix, the changes have to be for life and it's a whole new way of thinking," adds Barbara. "It's about realising you can manage your angina rather than letting it manage you."

Interview over, Hazel heads off home, refusing a lift. "I'll walk," she says smiling. "I walk everywhere nowadays."

back | top