Chest Pain & Angina

Photograph of a man experiencing chest pain and angina.

What is angina?

Angina is pain or discomfort in the chest caused because your heart muscle isn’t getting enough oxygen-rich blood. There are many types of angina. Angina is also different for men and women.  Knowing the different types is important as they have different symptoms:  

  • Stable Angina / Angina Pectoris – chest pain or discomfort caused by coronary heart disease in which one of more of the heart’s arteries is narrowed or blocked.

  • Unstable Angina – unexpected chest pain (usually while resting) caused by blood clots either partially or totally blocking blood flow to the heart muscle.

  • Variant (Prinzmetal) Angina – a painful attack caused by a spasm in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle (more common in younger people, usually at rest).

  • Microvascular Angina – heart disease that affects the walls and inner lining of the coronary artery blood vessels causing spasms and decreased blood flow to the heart.

What causes angina?

Angina is not a disease. It is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, usually coronary heart disease. If you’re at risk for heart disease, you’re also at risk for angina.

The major risk factors include:

  • Unhealthy cholesterol levels

  • High blood pressure

  • Smoking

  • Diabetes

  • Overweight or obesity

  • Metabolic syndrome

  • Inactivity

  • Unhealthy diet

  • Getting older – men over 45 years and women over 55 have increased risk

  • Family history of early heart disease

What are the symptoms of angina?

Angina can feel like pain, pressure or squeezing in your chest. It can also extend to your shoulders, arms, neck, back or jaw. Sometimes angina pain may even feel like indigestion. While many types of chest pain – like heartburn, a lung infection or panic attack – are not related to angina, it’s best to get it checked by a doctor. 

How do you diagnose angina?

If you have chest pain, we’ll need to find out whether it's angina and what type. Unstable angina may require emergency medical treatment to prevent a heart attack. Some of the common tests we use to diagnose angina include:

How do you treat angina?

The recommended treatment for angina depends on the type of angina you have; the severity and frequency of pain; and other health. The treatments will help relieve your pain and reduce the number and severity of attacks. They may also prevent or lower your risk for heart attack by treating your underlying cardiovascular condition.