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Stable angina - Symptom

Alternative Names

Angina - stable; Angina - chronic; Angina pectoris

Symptoms:

Symptoms of stable angina are often predictable. This means that the same amount of exercise or activity may cause your angina to occur. Your angina should improve or go away when you stop or slow down the exercise.

The most common symptom is chest pain that occurs behind the breastbone or slightly to the left of it. The pain of stable angina usually begins slowly and gets worse over the next few minutes before going away.

The pain may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. It may spread to the:

  • Arm (usually the left)
  • Back
  • Jaw
  • Neck
  • Shoulder

Some people say the pain feels like gas or indigestion.

Some patients (women, older adults, and people with diabetes) may have different symptoms, such as:

  • Back, arm, or neck pain
  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Weakness

The pain of stable angina usually:

  • Occurs after activity or stress
  • Lasts an average of 1 - 15 minutes
  • Is relieved with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin

Angina attacks can occur at any time during the day, but a higher number occur between 6 a.m. and noon.

Other symptoms of angina include:

  • A feeling of indigestion or heartburn
  • Dizziness or light-headedness
  • Nausea, vomiting, and sweating
  • Palpitations
  • Shortness of breath
  • Unexplained tiredness after activity (more common in women)

Signs and tests:

Your health care provider will do a physical exam and measure your blood pressure. Tests that may be done to diagnose or rule out angina include:

  • Reviewed last on: 5/23/2011
  • Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Fraker TD Jr, Fihn SD, Gibbons RJ, Abrams J, Chatterjee K, Daley J et al. 2007 chronic angina focused update of the ACC/AHA 2002 Guidelines for the management of patients with chronic stable angina: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines Writing Group to develop the focused update of the 2002 Guidelines for the management of patients with chronic stable angina. Circulation. 2007;116:2762-2772.

Morrow DA, Boden WE. Stable ischemic heart disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 57.

Becker RC, Meade TW, Berger PB, Ezekowitz M, O'Connor CM, Vorchheimer DA, et al. The primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition). Chest. 2008;133(6 Suppl):776S-814S.

Serruys PW, Morice MC, Kappetein AP, Colombo A, Holmes DR, Mack MJ, et al. Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary-artery bypass grafting for severe coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:961-972. Epub 2009 Feb 18.

Mosca L, Benjamin EJ, Berra K, Bezanson JL, Dolor RJ, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Effectiveness-based guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women -- 2011 update: A guideline from the American Heart Association. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011; 57:1404-1423.

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