
Patients diagnosed with angina pectoris should be coun-seled concerning the potential serious and unpredictable nature of the condition but also advised that powerful new pharmaco-logic and mechanical interventions are available that may ame-li0rate symptoms and in many cases, extend survival. Patients with unstable angina should undergo hospital admission to rule out myocardial infarction, to receive intensive pharmacologic therapy, and, in most cases, to undergo coronary arteriogra-phy. All patients with angina should be thoroughly instructed in risk factor modification, particularly dietary management of cholesterol and saturated fat intake, smoking cessation, and blood pressure control. A search should be made for potentially correctable conditions such as aortic stenosis, severe anemia, thyrotoxicosis, and tachyarrhythmias that might be contribut-ing to the myocardial oxygen supply demand imbalance causing angina.