Updated: 05-04-2025
Verified By: Dr.Sukhvinder Singh – A Certified Cardiologist in India, MBBS, MD, DM (Cardiology). Experience: 10+ years. He Provides Cardiologist Consultations Online (TeleMedicine)
Let’s find out What is Angina?
When the heart muscles do not get the oxygen-rich blood in an adequate amount, it causes pain or discomfort in your heart, leading to angina.
Regular angina symptoms might feel like squeezing or pressure in your heart.
The pain can sometimes also extend to the arms, shoulders, jaw, and neck; the upper part of the abdomen up to the umbilicus; or the back.
In some patients, it may also cause a feeling of indigestion.
Angina is a symptom of the coronary heart disease (CHD) and is one of the most common heart diseases found in adults.
CHD occurs when plaque, a waxy substance, builds up inside the coronary artery inner walls.
These arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
Due to the formation of the waxy substance, the coronary arteries stiffen and get narrowed, causing angina or anginal chest pain.
If plaque ruptures for certain reasons, blood clots form in the arteries, causing total blockage, which can lead to a heart attack.
What is Angina?
The major types of angina include
- Unstable
- Stable
- Variant (Prinzmetal)
- Microvascular
Signs and Symptoms Of Angina
The main angina symptoms include discomfort and heaviness in the chest.
A patient feels as if someone is pressing his/her chest or has put a stone on their chest.
Pain, burning, tightness, or pressure in the chest is caused by angina.
Typically, the angina pain occurs in the centre of the chest; it may occur on the left and right sides.
It is a common misconception that only left-sided pain is angina, and pain on the right side of the chest cannot be angina.
More often, people find it difficult to tell the point of origin of the pain, as it is difficult to locate pain arising from inner organs.
Other notable signs include fatigue, nausea, light-headedness, weakness, sweating, and shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath is common among women having diabetes, along with dizziness, confusion, and weakness.
Depending on the type of angina, your symptoms may vary. At times, you may feel only breathlessness and no pain. It is more common in the elderly, diabetics, and females.
Because there are varying reasons behind chest pain, you must not ignore it and quickly consult a carer.
If the chest pain does not go away with regular medications within a few minutes, it can be an indicator of a heart attack and needs urgent medical attention.
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