Angina

Home » Angina » Signs and Symptoms

Questions to Ask Your Cardiac Care Team
(Free Handout)

Signs and Symptoms

Angina is a symptom of ischemic heart disease (IHD). Episodes of stable angina typically are brought on by exertion or emotion and are relieved with rest. An attack of stable angina lasts from 1 to 5 minutes and is described as

• squeezing,
  
• choking,
  
• smothering, or
  
• crushing pressure in the chest.
  

Pain may radiate to the shoulders, arms, back, neck, or jaw. Patients with atherosclerosis also may experience sweating, clamminess, shortness of breath (dyspnea), nausea, and a sensation like indigestion.

Unstable angina causes symptoms that are more severe, more frequent, and occur with modestly increased physical activity and at rest. Blood clots may form at anytime and may partially dissolve spontaneously. Whenever this occurs, blood flow to heart tissue is blocked and angina occurs.

An attack of unstable angina may last several minutes to half an hour or longer. Unstable angina is an acute coronary syndrome, which is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

Patients with variant angina usually experience intense pain when they are at rest, sometimes waking them from sleep.

Complications

Heart tissue sustains damage within 30 minutes of being deprived of oxygen. A blood clot that completely blocks blood flow in a coronary artery and does not at least partially dissolve will cause heart attack.

Untreated chronic stable angina may progress to unstable angina, an acute coronary syndrome that requires immediate medical attention to prevent the development of

• severe arrhythmias (i.e., irregular heart rhythm),
  
• heart attack,
  
• or sudden cardiac death—due to cardiac arrest with loss of consciousness within 1 hour of the onset of acute symptoms.
  

Possible complications of variant angina include the following:

• Atrioventricular block (i.e., absence of electrical conduction between the atrium and ventricle)
  
• Episodes of disabling pain
  
• Heart attack
  
• Severe arrhythmias
  
• Sudden cardiac death
  

© 1998-2008 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Angina Resources

	Join Our Angina Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
Advertising Disclaimer To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer