How to identify angina

Angina is a type of chest pain caused by poor blood flow to the heart because of blocked blood vessels (coronary arteries). Three types of angina can cause symptoms. Stable angina is a chest pain that occurs with exertion. Unstable angina is a sudden chest pain that may not correlate with exertion and variant angina has no correlation with exertion and is caused by a blood vessel spasm in the heart. You should be aware of angina attack symptoms and seek medical attention if necessary.

Chest Pain
Chest pain or discomfort is the most common angina symptom. You may feel tightness, pressure or a squeezing type of pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, many people say that it feels like someone is standing on their chest. However, women may experience a stabbing, pulsating or sharp form of pain. This pain occurs because the heart muscle tissue is lacking of oxygen-rich blood. Seek immediate medical attention if this is a new symptom or becoming worse.

Radiating Pain
Medline Plus states that pain may radiate from the chest to the left arm, back, jaw, neck or shoulder. This occurs because pain signals from the oxygen-deprived heart muscle can get crossed in the spinal cord. This will give the sensation of pain coming from other areas of the upper body.

Shortness of Breath
You may have trouble breathing, which may become worse with exertion. Breathing difficulty occurs because the heart cannot sufficiently pump blood to the lungs to be re-oxygenated. This results in shortness of breath because your lungs are working hard to provide oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.

Other Symptoms
Other symptoms of angina attack include nausea, fatigue, anxiety, sweating and dizziness. The symptoms' severity and duration can vary depending on the severity of the coronary artery blockage. The Mayo Clinic states that you may be having a heart attack if these symptoms last longer than a few minutes and does not resolve with rest.

References
* Mayo Clinic: Angina
* Medline Plus: Angina

How to identify angina was originally published on LIVESTRONG.COM.

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