The National Institutes of Health defines abdominal angina (also known as intestinal angina) as abdominal pain that occurs infrequently after a meal. It is caused by poor circulation due to atherosclerosis or another arterial disease. The symptoms of this disease can vary from person to person. In addition, the severity of the symptoms heightens as the disease progresses, making symptoms worse as time goes by.
Pain
The main sign of abdominal angina is pain in the abdominal area. According to the Intelihealth website, abdominal angina sufferers experience pain because the atherosclerosis or other arterial disease causes a narrowing of the arteries, which cuts the blood supply to the intestines. The pain usually begins approximately 15 minutes after eating a meal and can be quite severe.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is sometimes experienced by people who suffer from abdominal angina. Diarrhea can be caused by the insufficient blood supply that the bowels are receiving. This can cause foods to not be broken down properly and nutrients to not absorb into the body. This damaged process can result in severe bouts of diarrhea, which can also lead to other problems such as nausea, pain and even weight loss.
Vomiting
Nausea is sometimes experienced by a person suffering from abdominal angina. As a result, some people will also experience vomiting. In certain cases, the vomiting can be more severe and can cause additional problems such as malnutrition due to the person's inability to keep food down and absorb the necessary vitamins and nutrients that the body needs. They may also need anti-nausea medication to help them live a relatively normal life. Some of the anti-nausea medications can be difficult to tolerate and cause sleepiness in some individuals.
Weight Loss
Blood flow in the abdominal area is restricted in comparison with people who do not suffer from abdominal angina. Every time a person with abdominal angina eats, he experiences pain. As a result, a person with abdominal angina usually associates eating with pain. At this point the person will stop eating altogether or he will eat very small amounts. As the disease progresses small amounts of food in the stomach cause the same amount of pain that large amounts do. Thus, the person begins to suffer weight loss, which can be severe in some cases.
