Angina is a medical term to describe pain or discomfort in the chest after undergoing physical or emotional stress. However, the signs and symptoms of angina go beyond a simple pain located in the chest. It occurs when the heart doesn’t receive as much blood as it needs, usually resulting from a blockage in one or more coronary arteries. Narrowed arteries, arteries with atherosclerotic plaques, and arteries contracted by the surrounding muscles may cause an episode of angina.
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These are the most important symptoms:
Chest pain
In most patients, it is a key symptom of angina and in mild cases of patients with heart disease, chest pain must not be overlooked. However, this type of pain can be triggered by ailments of the esophagus, lungs, nerves, ribs, and thoracic muscles. Thus, it is recommended to seek medical assistance in such cases. Angina pain can be described differently, depending on the patient. It may be sharp, dull, aching, burning and crushing sensation. For some patients and at some point, the pain may spread to the back, jaw, arms, and shoulder. The severity pain sometimes correlates with the need of treatment, but sometimes it does not.