Chest Pain & Angina

Quick facts about Angina 

  • Angina is when you feel pain or discomfort in the chest because your heart muscle isn’t getting enough oxygen-rich blood.

  • Angina is a symptom of an underlying heart problem – it’s not a disease itself.  

  • It can feel like pain, pressure or squeezing in your chest; it may extend to your shoulders, arms, neck, back or jaw; sometimes it may even feel like indigestion.

  • Unstable angina may require emergency medical treatment to prevent a heart attack.

  • Tests will be able to confirm whether you have angina and what type.

  • Treatments can help relieve pain, reduce the number and severity of attacks, and lower your risk for heart attack by treating your underlying cardiovascular condition.

About the condition

Angina is pain or discomfort in the chest caused because your heart muscle isn’t getting enough oxygen-rich blood. 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.

Causes of 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

Symptoms of angina

There are many types of angina that produce different symptoms. Angina is also different for men and women.  

  • 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. 

Diagnosis of 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:

Treatment for angina

The recommended treatment for angina depends on the type of angina you have; the severity and frequency of pain; and other health issues. 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.