- 7/24 Live Call Center
Last Updated on November 27, 2025 by Bilal Hasdemir
Chest pain is scary, and finding out why is key. Angina is a clinical syndrome characterized by chest pain due to insufficient blood flow to the heart. It often means there’s a problem with the heart’s blood supply.
The American Heart Association says angina is a sign of coronary artery disease. This happens when the heart’s arteries get narrowed or blocked. At Liv Hospital, we focus on early detection and treatment of angina. We use trusted, team-based methods to care for our patients.
Angina is a condition where you feel chest pain or discomfort. It happens when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. This is often because of coronary artery disease. It’s a sign that you need to see a doctor.
The heart needs oxygen and nutrients to work right. If the coronary arteries get narrowed or blocked, the heart doesn’t get what it needs. This leads to ischemia, causing pain or discomfort known as angina.
Studies show that regular exercise can lower the risk of heart disease. This includes conditions like coronary artery disease that cause angina. Activities like walking or biking are good for your heart.
There are different types of angina, each with its own signs. Stable angina is the most common. It happens when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen during activity or stress. It usually gets better with rest or medicine.
Unstable angina is unpredictable and can happen anytime, even when you’re resting. It’s a serious sign that you might be having a heart attack. It’s when the pattern of angina changes or new, severe pain happens.
Variant angina, or Prinzmetal’s angina, is caused by spasms in the coronary arteries. This causes a temporary blockage, reducing blood flow to the heart. It can happen when you’re resting and is very painful.
Knowing the different types of angina helps doctors figure out how to treat it. Symptoms include chest pain, pain in the jaw, neck, or arm, shortness of breath, and feeling tired. If you notice these signs, it’s important to get medical help right away.
It’s key to know the signs of angina to avoid serious heart issues. Angina symptoms differ from person to person. Yet, there are common signs everyone should watch out for.
The most common symptom of angina is chest pain or discomfort. People often describe it as a squeezing, pressure, or heaviness in the chest. This pain usually happens behind the breastbone but can spread to other areas.
The pain can start with physical activity or stress and goes away with rest or medicine. Remember, angina pain can be unpredictable and doesn’t always follow a set pattern.
Angina pain often spreads to the jaw, neck, arms, or back. This happens because the nerves that supply the heart also serve these areas.
In some cases, pain in these areas can be more intense than chest pain. Knowing these patterns can help spot angina.
People with angina may also feel shortness of breath and fatigue. These symptoms happen because the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood.
Shortness of breath is a big worry as it shows the heart is under a lot of strain. Fatigue is a subtle sign that the body’s tissues aren’t getting enough oxygen.
Some studies link edentulism (losing teeth) to a higher risk of heart disease. This shows how health and heart conditions are connected.
Angina pain can show up in different parts of the body, not just the chest. Knowing where angina pain usually occurs is key for the right diagnosis and treatment.
Angina pain often feels like discomfort or pressure in the retrosternal area. This is the space behind the sternum. It might feel like a squeeze or a heavy feeling in the chest. It usually happens when you’re active or stressed and goes away with rest or medicine.
Some common signs of typical retrosternal pain are:
While most pain is in the chest, angina can also show up in other places. These atypical locations can include the:
These unusual places can make it harder to figure out what’s wrong, as they might seem like other issues.
Not every chest pain is angina. Other things like stomach problems, muscle pain, or pneumonia can also cause discomfort. To tell if it’s angina, we look at:
Getting the right diagnosis is very important. It helps make sure you get the right treatment and avoid serious problems.
To find angina, we start with a detailed medical history and physical exam. This first step is key to guide more tests and choose the best treatment.
We look closely at the patient’s medical history to find risk factors for angina. We check for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more. We also look at smoking, high cholesterol, and family heart disease history.
Understanding the patient’s symptoms helps us tell if it’s angina. We look at when the pain starts, how long it lasts, and what it feels like.
A detailed physical exam can show signs of heart disease or other issues. We check for cardiac murmurs, abnormal heart rhythms, or signs of heart failure.
We also check the patient’s overall health. This helps find other reasons for chest pain.
After the medical history and physical exam, we decide on further tests. This might include electrocardiograms, blood tests, or other procedures to confirm angina.
Our first steps help us create a treatment plan. This plan might include lifestyle changes, medicine, or more.
The electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) is key in understanding and managing angina. It’s a non-invasive test that shows the heart’s electrical activity over time. This gives important insights into the heart’s function and any issues.
ECGs are great for spotting cardiac ischemia, where blood flow to the heart muscle drops. During an ischemic event, the ECG can pick up on heart electrical activity changes. These changes might show angina or even a heart attack.
Studies show ECGs are vital in finding cardiac ischemia and diagnosing angina. By looking at the ECG, doctors can see signs of ischemia or past heart damage.
There are two main ways to use ECGs: resting ECGs and serial monitoring. A resting ECG is done when the patient is calm, giving a quick look at the heart’s electrical activity. Serial monitoring, or continuous ECG, records over a longer time, often during daily activities or when symptoms occur.
Resting ECGs are fast and simple, giving quick results. Serial monitoring can catch brief ischemic events that might not show up in a resting ECG.
Understanding ECG results needs a good grasp of heart electrophysiology and the patterns seen on an ECG. For diagnosing angina, specific changes like ST-segment depression or elevation can point to ischemia. Q waves might suggest a past heart attack.
If left untreated, angina can lead to heart attacks or worse heart function. So, it’s vital to accurately and quickly read ECG results to guide further tests and treatments.
| ECG Finding | Possible Interpretation | Clinical Significance |
|---|---|---|
| ST-segment depression | Ischemia or coronary artery disease | May indicate angina or coronary artery disease |
| T-wave inversion | Ischemia or ventricular hypertrophy | Can be associated with angina or cardiac structural abnormalities |
| Q waves | Previous myocardial infarction | Suggests previous heart attack, potentially related to angina |
By understanding ECGs and combining this with clinical findings, doctors can make better decisions. This improves care for people with angina.
To find out if someone has angina, doctors often use stress tests. These tests check how well the heart works when it’s under stress, like during exercise.
An exercise stress test, also known as a treadmill test, is a common way to check the heart. Patients walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike. Their heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG are watched closely.
The test starts with easy exercise and gets harder at set times. It stops if the patient feels chest pain or can’t breathe well.
A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows these tests are great for finding heart disease. They also help figure out the risk of heart problems in the future.
For those who can’t exercise because of health issues, there’s another test. Pharmacologic stress tests use medicine to make the heart work hard, like exercise.
These tests give medicine to make the heart rate or blood flow change. Then, they use imaging like echocardiography to see how the heart responds.
a cardiologist, says these tests are good for people who can’t do regular exercise tests.
Stress test results can tell a lot about angina. A positive test might show:
| Result | Indication |
|---|---|
| ST-segment depression on ECG | Myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart muscle) |
| Chest pain or discomfort during the test | Angina or possible heart disease |
| Poor exercise tolerance | Potential heart function problem |
These results help doctors decide the best treatment for angina. This might include lifestyle changes, medicine, or more tests.
Coronary angiography is the top choice for finding coronary artery disease, which is often linked to angina. This method gives a clear look at the coronary arteries. It helps us spot blockages or narrowings that might cause angina symptoms.
A catheter is put through an artery in the leg or arm during coronary angiography. It’s then guided to the coronary arteries. Next, a contrast dye is injected, and X-ray images are taken.
This lets us see any blockages or narrowings in the arteries. The procedure is done in a catheterization lab by a cardiologist. While it’s safe, there are risks like bleeding, infection, and allergic reactions to the dye.
Coronary angiography has many benefits:
But, it also has risks:
The results from coronary angiography give us key info about the coronary arteries. This info helps us choose the best treatment for angina. It could be medicine, angioplasty, or bypass surgery.
If big blockages are found, we might suggest angioplasty. For more complex cases, bypass surgery could be needed.
Recent studies show coronary angiography is key in diagnosing and treating angina. Other imaging methods like CT angiography and cardiac MRI also help understand the heart better.
CT angiography has greatly improved diagnosing angina. This non-invasive method gives us detailed views of the heart and its arteries. It helps us understand the heart’s structure and function better.
CT angiography lets us see coronary arteries without surgery. It uses CT technology to take clear images of the heart and its vessels. We can spot blockages and plaque that cause angina symptoms.
This method is safer and less uncomfortable for patients. It can be done outside the hospital. Plus, it gives a full view of the arteries, helping doctors plan treatments.
CT angiography also does calcium scoring. This measures calcium in the arteries. High calcium scores mean more risk of heart disease.
By looking at calcium scores, we can see how much risk a patient has. This helps us decide on the best treatment for angina patients.
CT angiography is less invasive than traditional angiography. It’s safer and gives a wider view of the arteries. It shows plaque and other issues.
But, it’s not as detailed as invasive angiography. It also uses radiation and dye, which can be a problem for some patients.
In summary, CT angiography is a key tool for diagnosing angina. It’s non-invasive and helps us see the heart’s arteries and calcium levels. While it has its downsides, its benefits make it a valuable tool in our diagnostic tools.
Blood tests for cardiac biomarkers, like troponin, are also important for diagnosing angina. Used with CT angiography, they give a full picture of the patient’s heart health. This helps doctors create effective treatment plans.
The echocardiogram is a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to see the heart. It shows how well the heart works and its structure.
Echocardiograms help spot problems in how the heart moves. This can show if the heart isn’t getting enough blood. It’s a key sign of heart disease.
The test also looks at the heart’s ejection fraction (EF). This is how much blood the heart pumps out with each beat. A normal EF is 55% to 70%. It shows how well the heart is working.
Stress echocardiography is a special test. It takes pictures of the heart before and after stress. This can be from exercise or medicine. It shows how the heart handles stress.
| Test Component | Description | Clinical Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Wall Motion Assessment | Evaluates the movement of the heart’s walls | Identifies abnormalities indicative of coronary artery disease |
| Ejection Fraction | Measures the percentage of blood pumped out with each heartbeat | Assesses the heart’s pumping efficiency |
| Stress Echocardiography | Involves comparing heart function at rest and under stress | Reveals stress-induced cardiac issues not visible at rest |
Cardiac MRI is key in diagnosing angina. It shows heart tissue and scarring. This lets doctors see how coronary artery disease affects the heart.
Cardiac MRI gives clear images of the heart. It shows the ventricles, atria, and blood vessels. This helps find heart problems that cause angina.
It also checks blood flow in the coronary arteries. This helps find areas where blood flow is low, which might mean the heart is not getting enough blood.
Cardiac MRI is non-invasive and doesn’t use harmful radiation. This makes it safe for patients who need many tests or are worried about radiation.
Cardiac MRI is great at finding scarring and heart damage. It uses late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) to spot fibrosis. This shows where the heart has been damaged before.
“Cardiac MRI has changed how we diagnose and manage heart disease. It gives us deep insights into the heart’s structure and function.”
Cardiac MRI is best when other tests don’t give clear answers. It’s also good for patients who can’t have other tests because of health issues.
Cardiac MRI gives a full view of the heart. This helps doctors create better treatment plans. It improves how patients do after treatment.
Blood tests are key in diagnosing angina. They help find cardiac biomarkers that show heart damage or disease.
Troponin is a protein in heart muscle cells. Its presence in blood means heart damage. High troponin levels can mean a heart attack or other heart issues. Other enzymes like creatine kinase are also checked to see how the heart is doing.
Studies show that cardiac biomarkers like troponin are vital for heart disease diagnosis and care. A study in Cardiovascular Diabetology found they greatly improve patient results.
Other tests look at inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipid profiles. High CRP and abnormal lipids show a higher heart disease risk.
New blood tests are being made to better diagnose angina. They look for new biomarkers to spot heart issues. For example, tests for certain microRNAs or other new biomarkers are being studied for angina detection.
| Biomarker | Description | Clinical Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Troponin | Protein released by damaged cardiac cells | Indicator of heart attack or cardiac damage |
| C-reactive Protein (CRP) | Protein indicating inflammation | Marker of increased cardiovascular risk |
| Lipid Profiles | Measurement of cholesterol and triglycerides | Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors |
Getting a complete diagnosis is key to treating angina well. Research shows that a detailed diagnosis leads to better patient results. We use tools like electrocardiograms, stress tests, and advanced imaging to find out if someone has angina and how serious it is.
We’ve looked at the different types of angina and their signs. We’ve also talked about the tools doctors use to diagnose it. A full diagnosis uses these tools together. This helps doctors create a treatment plan that fits each patient’s needs.
For those with angina, the next steps are important. They need to work with their doctor to manage their symptoms and lower the risk of problems. This might mean changing their lifestyle, taking medicine, or having more tests. By focusing on a detailed diagnosis and treatment, we can make patients’ lives better.
Angina is a sign of coronary artery disease. It causes chest pain or discomfort. This happens when blood flow to the heart is reduced.
Doctors use many ways to find angina. They look at your medical history and do a physical check. They also use an electrocardiogram (ECG), stress tests, and imaging like coronary angiography or CT angiography.
Symptoms of angina include chest pain or discomfort. You might also feel pain in your jaw, neck, or arms. Shortness of breath and fatigue are other signs.
An ECG checks the heart’s electrical activity. It helps find angina and see if the heart might be damaged.
Stress tests check how the heart works when you’re active. They help find angina by seeing how the heart reacts to activity or medicine.
Coronary angiography is a key test. It shows the heart’s arteries. It helps find blockages or narrow spots in the arteries.
CT angiography is a non-invasive test. It shows the heart’s arteries without needing invasive procedures. It helps find blockages or narrow spots.
Calcium scoring checks for calcium in the heart’s arteries. It shows if there’s disease in the arteries, which can cause angina.
An echocardiogram looks at the heart’s walls and how well it pumps. It helps find angina and see how it affects the heart.
Cardiac MRI shows the heart’s tissue and blood flow. It finds scars and checks how well the heart works. It gives detailed info for diagnosing angina and planning treatment.
Blood tests check for heart damage markers and other signs. They help find angina and see if there’s risk of heart damage or other conditions.
After being diagnosed with angina, you’ll talk about treatment with your doctor. You might make lifestyle changes, take medicine, or have more tests and procedures to manage the condition.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Angina (Chest Pain) – Diagnosis. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/angina/diagnosis
RadiologyInfo.org. Angina Pectoris – Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment. https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/anginapectoris
