What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of angina include chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in the chest. Some people feel pain, pressure, or a strange feeling in the back, neck, jaw, or upper belly, or in one or both shoulders or arms. Other symptoms of angina include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness or sudden weakness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

Some people describe their angina as pressure, heaviness, weight, tightness, squeezing, discomfort, burning, or dull aching in the chest. People often put a fist to the chest when describing their pain. Some people may feel tingling or numbness in the arm, hand, or jaw when they have angina.

It might be hard for you to point to the exact location of your pain. Pressing on the chest wall does not cause the pain.

What are the types of angina?

Stable angina

Stable angina means that you can usually predict when your symptoms will happen. You probably know what things cause your angina. For example, you know how much activity usually causes your angina.

Angina symptoms happen when your heart is working harder and needs more oxygen than can be delivered through the narrowed arteries. Angina may happen when you are:

• Doing strenuous exercise (especially if you typically do not exercise).
• Being exposed to cold temperatures.
• Having sudden, intense emotions, such as anger or fear.
• Smoking.
• Eating a heavy meal.
• Using cocaine or amphetamines.

What makes symptoms worse?

Other health problems, such as fever or infection, anemia, or other heart problems, can make your angina symptoms worse. They may also cause unstable angina.

Angina may get worse when another condition:

• Forces your heart to work harder, which increases the amount of oxygen it needs.
• Decreases the amount of oxygen the heart receives.

In either case, there is an imbalance between the amount of oxygen that your heart needs and the amount that it receives through the blood supply from your coronary arteries. If your heart can't get enough oxygen, your symptoms of stable angina may get worse.