Health Topics for Cardiovascular Health

UI Heart and Vascular Care

Cardiovascular Diseases

Chest pain (angina)

Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused by heart disease. When the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle narrow, the heart muscle cannot get the oxygen it needs to work.

The pain of angina may feel like a squeezing pressure, tightness, or heavy sensation in the chest. Sometimes the pain or discomfort goes to one or both arms, into the jaw, the back, or the neck. A person may also feel shortness of breath, indigestion or heartburn, nausea and or vomiting, sweating, weakness, or dizziness.

Angina may be triggered by exertion, stress, cold weather, or eating a heavy meal. It may be relieved with rest. It is important to stop the activity that brings on the pain.

Seek immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain that:

• occurs at rest
• awakens you during sleep
• is severe during mild exertion
• increases in severity and frequency or
• is associated with irregular heartbeats

Persons with these symptoms are at increased risk of a heart attack.

Not all chest pain is caused by heart disease. There are people who have chest pain even though they have normal hearts. There are also people with heart disease who have unusual symptoms or no pain. Sometimes an unusual symptom is more like nausea, or breathlessness, than it is pain. Sometimes it is only felt in the back, arm, or jaw, and not in the chest. It may take tests, such as a stress test or angiography, to know if a person's chest pain is really due to heart disease.

If the chest discomfort is truly angina, there are several possible treatments. The most important treatment is to stop or slow down the blockage that is growing inside the artery. This is done by not smoking, controlling high blood pressure, improving the diet, losing weight, and, if necessary, lowering blood cholesterol with medicine. Treatment may also include an exercise program prescribed by your healthcare provider. There are medications, such as nitroglycerin, that can treat the pain of angina. Surgeries and other procedures, such as angioplasty and stents, are necessary for some patients.

People with angina have a higher chance of having a heart attack. Should a heart attack occur, early treatment can reduce the damage to the heart muscle and, possibly, save a life.

Call 911 immediately if any of these signs of a heart attack are experienced:

• chest discomfort (such as pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain) that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
• chest discomfort with lightheadedness
• pain that spreads to the shoulder, neck, arms, or jaws or
• fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File CARD4293.RF2 VRS# 6112 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1999-2000, 2003 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.