Heart Conditions

Angina

Angina refers to pain or discomfort in the chest. Angina is not a disease itself, but rather a symptom of another underlying heart problem.

What causes angina?

Angina occurs when the heart doesn’t get all of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to work properly. This often happens when one or more of the arteries that feed the heart—the coronary arteries—are narrowed or blocked.

What are the symptoms of angina?

Angina typically causes pain or discomfort in the shoulders, arms, chest, neck, jaw or back. They may also feel short of breath, profoundly fatigued, nauseous or experience pain between their shoulder blades. Angina pain can also feel like indigestion the symptoms of angina can vary from person to person.

What heart conditions can cause angina?

Angina is not a disease.  It’s a symptom of an underlying heart condition. Often this condition is coronary heart disease (CHD), which occurs when plaque builds up in the heart’s arteries. Angina can also signal coronary microvascular disease: damage to the walls and lining of the blood vessels branching off from the arteries that provide blood to the heart.

Other conditions that can cause chest pain include:

• Pulmonary embolism (a blockage in a lung artery)
• Cardiomyopathy (diseases of the heart muscle)
• Aortic dissection (a tear in the aorta)
• Aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve)
• Pericarditis (inflammation of the heart’s surrounding tissue)
• Lung infection
• Gastroesophageal disease (GERD)

How is angina diagnosed?

Your doctor will first want to determine whether the angina is stable (a regular pattern of the heart overworking) or unstable (unexpected chest pain, that does not follow an expected pattern). Because unstable angina can signal a heart attack, your doctor may order the following tests:

• Blood tests
• Chest X-rays
• Computed tomography (CT) angiography
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Stress testing
• Echocardiogram

How is angina treated?

Treatment for angina depends on the type and underlying cause. Lifestyle changes, medication and cardiac rehab may be used to treat stable angina and decrease your risk for heart attack.

If you have unstable angina, your doctor will first need to find the blocked parts of the coronary arteries by performing a cardiac catheterization. Depending on the extent of the blockages, you may need surgery.