Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Angina?TypesSymptomsTreatmentsCausesRisk FactorsDiagnosisComplications and Outlook
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Angina?
Types
Symptoms
Treatments
Causes
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
Complications and Outlook
Angina pectoris, or angina for short, is chest discomfort that occurs when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen. It can feel like pressure, squeezing, or pain in the chest. Angina can be stable, occurring chronically in people withcoronary blockages, particularly during exercise or exertion. New or worsening angina is considered unstable angina and can progress to a heart attack.
This article will discuss angina and its types, causes, diagnosis, and management.
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Any impairment of the supply of blood from the coronary arteries, such as incoronary atherosclerosis, can lead to chest discomfort, which is classically described as a dull pressure in the center of the chest that may radiate to the arm or jaw.
Types of Angina
Angina is classified as eitherstable or unstable. Stable angina is chronic chest pain that occurs with exertion and reliably improves with rest. It’s usually experienced when the heart works harder and requires more blood and oxygen, such as during exercise or emotional stress. Other triggers include eating a heavy meal or extremes of temperature.
With exertion, the heart rate increases, and the heart pumps more forcefully to supply blood to the body, thus requiring a greater demand for oxygen. However, a blockage in the coronary arteries limits the amount of blood supply to the heart.
Unstable angina, on the other hand, is new angina, which occurs at rest or has become more frequent, longer-lasting, or severe. Unstable angina is considered a type of acute coronary syndrome. It’s a medical emergency since it can progress to a heart attack and requires hospitalization for evaluation and treatment.
Angina Symptoms
Most people associatechest painwith blockages in the heart. However, people with angina may not ever have pain. They may instead describe a tightness, pressure, or squeezing sensation that isn’t necessarily painful.
Angina is often described as a dull feeling in the area under the breastbone (sternum), though it’s difficult to locate the precise position. The discomfort can radiate up to the neck, arms, upper abdomen, back, or jaw. Shortness of breath is another common symptom. Other symptoms can include the following:
Angina typically lasts for a few minutes, gradually increasing in severity before dissipating with rest.
Angina in FemalesWhile chest pain is the most common symptom of angina regardless of sex, people assigned female at birth are more likely to have nonclassic symptoms. This can make the diagnosis more challenging and is one potential contributor todisparitiesin heart disease diagnosis and management in women.
Angina in Females
While chest pain is the most common symptom of angina regardless of sex, people assigned female at birth are more likely to have nonclassic symptoms. This can make the diagnosis more challenging and is one potential contributor todisparitiesin heart disease diagnosis and management in women.
Angina Treatments
Once a diagnosis of chronic, stable angina is made, thetreatment planincludes lifestyle changes and medications to alleviate symptoms and prevent complications such as heart attack and death. Cardiac rehab is a supervised program for people diagnosed with heart disease that provides education, exercise prescription, and tailored advice on managing your condition.
Lifestyle Changes
The following lifestyle changes are recommended for heart health and to prevent future cardiovascular events in those with or without heart disease:
Medications for Angina
Medications to treat angina include:
Procedures
In some cases, such as if symptoms are affecting daily life significantly despite optimal medication regimen, yourcardiologistmay recommend revascularization to restore blood flow to the heart. This can be achieved through stenting or surgery.
Stentingis performed during a procedure called coronary angioplasty to open blocked coronary arteries. During this procedure, a cardiologist uses balloon-tipped catheters under X-ray guidance to reach the coronary arteries, open up the blockage, and place a stent, a flexible tube.
What Causes Angina?
Risk Factors for Angina
How Is Angina Diagnosed?
There are many potential causes of chest pain, some of which are benign while others may be life threatening. So it’s important to receive a proper diagnosis. Your healthcare provider may have suspicion for angina based on your description of chest pain and order diagnostic tests.Tests to diagnose anginainclude:
Angina Complications and Outlook
In most cases, angina is due to blockages in the coronary arteries due to atherosclerosis, a buildup of cholesterol plaques. Plaque in the coronary arteries can become unstable and lead to blood clots in the coronary artery that abruptly stop blood flow to the heart, leading to aheart attack. This can be life-threatening.
Additionally, atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries means that arteries in other parts of the body are likely affected. This includes the following:
Fortunately, there are ways to decrease your risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease with the lifestyle changes and medical therapies discussed above.
Summary
Angina is a serious condition related to impaired blood flow to the heart causing chest discomfort. The primary cause is atherosclerosis or cholesterol plaques in the coronary arteries. It increases risk of heart attack, and is associated with blockages in other arteries that can increase risk of stroke.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Angina pectoris (stable angina).American Heart Association.Unstable angina.American Heart Association.Microvascular angina.American Heart Association.Prinzmetal’s or Prinzmetal angina, variant angina, and angina inversa.Gulati M, Levy PD, Mukherjee D, et al. 2021AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR guideline for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2021;144(22):e368-e454. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001029Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How cardiac rehab can help heal your heart.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678Cardiosmart-American College of Cardiology.Angina treatment.Lawton JS, Tamis-Holland JE, Bangalore S, et al.2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2022;145(3):e18-e114. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001038American Heart Association.Angina (chest pain).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coronary artery disease (CAD).
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Angina pectoris (stable angina).American Heart Association.Unstable angina.American Heart Association.Microvascular angina.American Heart Association.Prinzmetal’s or Prinzmetal angina, variant angina, and angina inversa.Gulati M, Levy PD, Mukherjee D, et al. 2021AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR guideline for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2021;144(22):e368-e454. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001029Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How cardiac rehab can help heal your heart.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678Cardiosmart-American College of Cardiology.Angina treatment.Lawton JS, Tamis-Holland JE, Bangalore S, et al.2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2022;145(3):e18-e114. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001038American Heart Association.Angina (chest pain).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coronary artery disease (CAD).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.Angina pectoris (stable angina).American Heart Association.Unstable angina.American Heart Association.Microvascular angina.American Heart Association.Prinzmetal’s or Prinzmetal angina, variant angina, and angina inversa.Gulati M, Levy PD, Mukherjee D, et al. 2021AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR guideline for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2021;144(22):e368-e454. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001029Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How cardiac rehab can help heal your heart.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678Cardiosmart-American College of Cardiology.Angina treatment.Lawton JS, Tamis-Holland JE, Bangalore S, et al.2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2022;145(3):e18-e114. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001038American Heart Association.Angina (chest pain).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coronary artery disease (CAD).
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American Heart Association.Unstable angina.
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Gulati M, Levy PD, Mukherjee D, et al. 2021AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR guideline for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2021;144(22):e368-e454. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001029
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How cardiac rehab can help heal your heart.
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Cardiosmart-American College of Cardiology.Angina treatment.
Lawton JS, Tamis-Holland JE, Bangalore S, et al.2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2022;145(3):e18-e114. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001038
American Heart Association.Angina (chest pain).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coronary artery disease (CAD).
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