HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury
Angina happens when your heart doesn't get enough blood. This is usually due to a narrowing of the blood vessels supplying your heart (your coronary arteries). Angina doesn't damage your heart like during a heart attack, which happens when a blood vessel becomes fully blocked.
The commonest cause of this narrowing, is a build-up of fatty deposits inside the blood vessel wall, which is known as atherosclerosis.
Having angina means you're at a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. But you can lower your risk by making healthy lifestyle choices.
Angina symptoms differ from person to person, but they can include:
The discomfort can range from mild or dull to severe.
You're more likely to get angina when your heart is having to work harder or beat faster such as during physical activity or stress.
To diagnose angina, your doctor will ask about your symptoms including what seems to bring them on, how long they last and how often you get them.
They will check your blood pressure, pulse and heart.
If they think your symptoms may be due to angina, they will do a tracing of the electrical activity of your heart known as an ECG.
They may need to do other tests to rule out other conditions that could be causing your chest pain. For example, indigestion or muscle or rib problems.
Blood tests are often needed to check your cholesterol and make sure you do not have diabetes.
Your doctor may refer you for an exercise tolerance test, during which an ecg tracing is taken while you exercise on a treadmill or bicycle.
Sometimes you'll need to have an investigation to look at the blood vessels of your heart. This is done either with an angiogram, in which dye is injected into the blood vessel or with a special type of X-ray known as a CT coronary angiogram.
The most important treatments for angina are making healthy lifestyle choices and taking medication.
There are several types of medication used for angina:
You can read more about angina medicines by going to this page about angina and expanding the "What is the treatment for angina" block.
If you have ongoing symptoms or increasing symptoms despite medication and lifestyle changes, you may need to have your blood vessels opened up. This is usually done by inserting a small tube (stent) into the blood vessel (angioplasty).
Some people with very severe narrowing of the arteries will need heart surgery known as coronary artery bypass surgery.
Several things make it more likely that you'll have angina or a heart attack, including lifestyle factors. By changing your lifestyle, you can lower your risk of angina and heart attacks.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
Information about angina, including signs and symptoms, and managing your angina.
What to do when you get angina.
You can download the booklet as a PDF or order copies.
On the next page: Self-care for angina
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2021.
Review key: HIANG-25275