Chest Pain (Angina)

Chest pain is commonly associated with the early signs of an impending heart attack, but it can originate from any organ or tissue in the chest, not just the heart. The source of pain may even originate elsewhere, such as neck, back or abdomen, and spread to the chest area.

Chest pain that originates from a heart condition is known as angina pectoris (commonly called angina) and is usually due to a lack of blood reaching a heart muscle. In angina, chest pain is usually chest discomfort (rather than sharp pain) and often presents itself as heaviness, tightness across the chest, or a squeezing or choking feeling.

Angina itself is not a disease, but a symptom of an underlying heart problem such as coronary heart disease (CHD) or valvular heart disease. In coronary heart disease a build up of plaques ( atherosclerosis) causes the small coronary arteries to narrow or block, reducing the amount of oxygen rich blood that can reach the heart's muscles. Stable angina is characterized as predictable chest pain that occurs following exertion such as running or climbing stairs, because the heart muscle affected requires more oxygen than the blocked coronary artery can supply, and then disappears after resting or taking medication.

Unstable angina is when the chest pain occurs unpredictably, when the body is at rest, lasts for longer than 10 minutes, or becomes more prolonged or severe. These cases may be a sign of impending heart attack and the patient should seek medical advice.

Treatment for angina chest pain depends on the severity of the underlying disease and includes lifestyle changes, medication, or surgery such as percutaneous cardiac intervention and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

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