Factors influencing the clinical course and the long-term prognosis of patients with variant angina.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the factors influencing the clinical course and prognosis in variant angina. Also, the mechanism of acute myocardial infarction in variant angina is reviewed. The subjects were 110 patients with variant angina who, after the initial visit or admission, were observed for a period of at least 2 months, the average observation period being 68 +/- 49 months (range: 2 months-16 years). The incidence of acute myocardial infarction was 21.8% of these patients and 87.5% of the infarctions occurred within 1 month of the initial visit or admission. In variant angina, the average rate over 1 year was 2.2%; however, in classical angina the rate was 3.7% and in postinfarction angina 5.0%. The mortality rate was 5.5%, with death in the majority of cases occurring within 1 month, as in myocardial infarction. When treatment was stopped, spontaneous remission occurred in at least 26 of the 110 cases (23.6%). Beyond 3 months, the remission continued in 19 of these 26 cases. Seven cases had acute myocardial infarction in spite of the suppression of anginal attacks with administration of calcium antagonists. Apparently coronary spasm is the cause of anginal attacks, and the cause of acute myocardial infarction in patients with variant angina appears to be coronary thrombus formation.