Which drug class would be used to prevent angina episodes?

Which drug class would be used to prevent angina episodes?

• A. Antiflatulent
• B. Antihistamine
• C. Antianginal
• D. Antibiotic

Answer: (C)

Preventing angina episodes relies on therapy that lowers the heart’s oxygen demand and/or improves blood flow to the heart. Antianginal drugs are designed for this purpose, helping to prevent chest pain by reducing factors that raise myocardial oxygen demand—such as heart rate, contractility, and venous return (preload) or by dilating coronary vessels to improve supply. This makes them the right choice for preventing angina, whereas the other options serve unrelated roles (gas relief, allergy relief, or infection control) and do not address ischemia. In practice, long‑acting antianginal therapies like beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and nitrates are used to prevent episodes, alone or in combination.

Preventing angina episodes relies on therapy that lowers the heart’s oxygen demand and/or improves blood flow to the heart. Antianginal drugs are designed for this purpose, helping to prevent chest pain by reducing factors that raise myocardial oxygen demand—such as heart rate, contractility, and venous return (preload) or by dilating coronary vessels to improve supply. This makes them the right choice for preventing angina, whereas the other options serve unrelated roles (gas relief, allergy relief, or infection control) and do not address ischemia. In practice, long‑acting antianginal therapies like beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and nitrates are used to prevent episodes, alone or in combination.