Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to a condition that is one of the three following disease which involve the patient's coronary arteries: unstable angina, ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Acute coronary syndrome is not the same as stable angina, which is a type of chest pain that shows up when a person is going through exertion, but goes away when he returns to resting. Unstable angina has a sudden onset and may show up while the patient is resting or having a small amount of exertion.

Symptoms

Various symptoms can show up in patients with ACS. Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, can appear. This is not the main symptom, however, which is chest pain that occurs as pressure, and radiates both to the left angle of the jaw and the left arm. Nausea, vomiting, and sweating may also occur. Heart palpitations may be noticed.

Atherosclerosis

In many circumstances, acute coronary syndrome points to damage done to the coronaries by atherosclerosis, which is a hardening of the arteries. Methods of attempting to prevent atherosclerosis include treating cases of diabetes and high blood pressure, keeping cholesterol levels under control, and avoiding smoking.

Diagnosis

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly used to attempt to find out what the cause behind chest pain is. Other methods that may be used to try to reach a diagnosis include a chest X-ray and blood tests.

Treatment

The method of treatment used varies based upon the type of acute coronary syndrome that is affecting the patient (such as STEMI, NSTEMI, and unstable angina), as well as other factors. Keep in mind that the method chosen is based on professional advice, and what you read here is not a replacement for that, whether regarding treatment or any other issue.