Angor animi (also referred to as angina animi,Gairdner's disease. Online Medical Dictionary. ''CancerWeb. Centre for Cancer Education.'' Newcastle University. http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=Gairdner%27s+disease (accessed: May 04, 2007) Gairdner's disease and also angina pectoris sine dolore), in

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

, is a

symptom Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showi ...

defined as a patient's ''perception'' that they are in fact dying. Most cases of ''angor animi'' are found in patients with

acute coronary syndrome Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a syndrome (a set of signs and symptoms) due to decreased blood flow in the coronary arteries such that part of the heart muscle is unable to function properly or dies. The most common symptom is centrally loca ...

(cardiac-related

chest pain Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with ...

) such as

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ...

. It is, however, occasionally found in patients with other conditions.angor animi. Online Medical Dictionary. ''CancerWeb. Centre for Cancer Education.'' Newcastle University. http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=angor+animi(accessed: May 04, 2007)

Pheochromocytoma Pheochromocytoma (PHEO or PCC) is a rare tumor of the adrenal medulla composed of chromaffin cells, also known as pheochromocytes. When a tumor composed of the same cells as a pheochromocytoma develops outside the adrenal gland, it is referred ...

also can present with angor animi, accompanied by other symptoms that include; profuse sweating, palpitations and characteristically a pounding severe headache.

Irukandji syndrome Irukandji syndrome is a condition that results from envenomation by certain box jellyfish. In rare instances the sting may result in cardiac arrest and death. The most common jellyfish involved is the '' Carukia barnesi'', a species of Irukandj ...

is also another reported cause. ''Angor animi'' is differentiated from a ''

fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

'' or ''desire'' for death, since ''angor animi'' refers to a patient's actual and genuine ''belief'' that they are in fact dying. __TOC__

Etymology

The phrase is derived from the two

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

terms which it is composed of, namely ''angor'' and ''animi''. ''Angor'' (different from but related to the word

anger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, suc ...

in modern English), refers to a great anxiety, distress,angor. Dictionary.com. ''Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1).'' Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/angor (accessed: May 04, 2007). or mental anguish often accompanied by a painful constriction and palpitations at the upper

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the tors ...

and lower thorax (chest).angor. Dictionary.com. ''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary.'' MICRA, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/angor (accessed: May 04, 2007) ''Animi'' means an animating spirit, intention or temper.animi. Dictionary.com. ''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary.'' MICRA, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/animi (accessed: May 04, 2007) ''Angina pectoris sine dolore'' is Latin for

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of obstr ...

without pain.

References

Emergency medicine Ischemic heart diseases Cardiovascular diseases Symptoms and signs of mental disorders {{symptom-stub