Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a cardiac glycoside that is among the oldest medications used for heart failure.
What are its two primary actions?

Nitrates are a class of drugs that help to widen the blood vessels and increase blood flow to the heart muscle, which reduces the chest pain or discomfort caused by angina.Nitrates can be taken as a mouth spray or tablets that dissolve under the tongue during an angina attack, or as a preventive measure before physical activity.

Choice A is wrong because fatty oxidase enzyme inhibitors are not a real class of drugs.

Fatty acid oxidation is a process that breaks down fats for energy, and it is not related to angina treatment.

Choice B is wrong because beta adrenergic blockers are not the main class of drugs for angina treatment, although they can be used to prevent angina attacks by slowing down the heart rate and reducing the blood pressure.

Beta blockers block the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) on the heart and blood vessels, which reduces the oxygen demand of the heart.

Choice D is wrong because statins are not used to treat angina attacks, but to lower the cholesterol levels in the blood and prevent plaque buildup in the arteries.

Statins can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with angina, but they do not relieve angina symptoms.

LDL cholesterol is sometimes called “bad” cholesterol because it can build up on the walls of the blood vessels and cause health problems, such as heart disease and stroke.High levels of LDL cholesterol raise your risk for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, decreasing LDL cholesterol levels can lower your risk and improve your health.

Choice A is wrong because increasing LDL cholesterol levels would have the opposite effect of decreasing them.It would increase your risk for cardiovascular disease and plaque buildup in your arteries.

Choice B is wrong because increasing HDL cholesterol levels is not enough to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.HDL cholesterol is sometimes called “good” cholesterol because it can move LDL cholesterol from the blood to the liver, where it is broken down and removed from the body.

However, HDL cholesterol levels alone are not a good indicator of your cardiovascular health.You also need to consider your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Choice D is wrong because decreasing HDL cholesterol levels would also increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.HDL cholesterol helps to lower LDL cholesterol levels and protect your blood vessels from plaque buildup.

Therefore, decreasing HDL cholesterol levels would reduce this protective effect and make you more vulnerable to heart disease and stroke.

The ideal ranges for cholesterol levels are as follows:

• Total cholesterol: below 200 mg/dL

• LDL cholesterol: less than 100 mg/dL

• HDL cholesterol: above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50 mg/dL for women

You can lower your LDL cholesterol levels and increase your HDL cholesterol levels by making healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, managing stress and taking medication if prescribed by your doctor.