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Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when an area of your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood. Symptoms include pressure, squeezing or aching in your chest and can sometimes feel like indigestion. The pain also may occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back.
Angina itself isn't a disease but rather a symptom of an underlying heart problem, usually coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. The two most common types of angina are stable and unstable angina:
Stable angina is chest pain that has a regular pattern. It happens when your heart is working harder and needs more oxygen, like during exercise. The pain usually goes away in a few minutes after you rest or take your angina medicine. Stable angina isn't a heart attack, but it makes a heart attack more likely in the future.
Symptoms of Stable Angina:
The pain or discomfort:
- Occurs when the heart must work harder, usually during physical exertion
- Episodes of pain tend to be similar
- Usually lasts a short time (5 minutes or less)
- Is relieved by rest or medicine
- May feel like gas or indigestion
- May feel like chest pain that spreads to the arms, back, or other areas
Unstable angina is sudden chest pain that does not follow a pattern. It can occur with or without physical exertion and is not relieved by rest or medicine. Unstable angina is very dangerous and necessitates emergency treatment. It's a sign that a heart attack may happen soon.
Symptoms of Unstable Angina:
The pain or discomfort:
- Often occurs at rest, while sleeping at night, or with little physical exertion
- Comes as a surprise
- Is more severe and lasts longer (as long as 30 minutes) than episodes of stable angina
- Is usually not relieved with rest or medicine
- May get continually worse
- May mean that a heart attack will happen soon
Please click here for more detailed information about angina.
Diagnosis
To diagnose chest pain as stable or unstable angina, your physician will conduct a physical exam, ask about your symptoms, and solicit information about your risk factors such as family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) or other heart disease. Your physician may order or perform one or more of the following assessments:
Treatment
Treatments for angina include lifestyle changes, medication therapy, medical procedures (angioplasty and stenting), surgical procedures (coronary artery bypass graft) and cardiac rehabilitation. The main goals of treatment are to reduce pain and discomfort, lessen the frequency of pain and to prevent or lower the risk of heart attack by treating the underlying heart condition.
The Heart and Vascular Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center offers a variety of diagnostic and treatment resources for patients with angina:
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