Angina Specialists in Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi

What is Angina?

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood, most often due to narrowed coronary arteries from underlying coronary artery disease. It typically presents as a squeezing, pressure-like, or heavy sensation in the chest that is triggered by physical exertion or emotional stress and relieved by rest, a pattern known as stable angina. When chest pain occurs unpredictably at rest or with minimal exertion, it is termed unstable angina and represents a medical emergency signalling a high risk of impending heart attack. Angina itself is a symptom of underlying heart disease rather than a disease in its own right, and its presence warrants thorough cardiac evaluation. With appropriate treatment of the underlying coronary disease, angina symptoms can often be well controlled.

Causes of Angina

Primarily caused by underlying coronary artery disease, where narrowed arteries limit blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle during periods of increased demand such as physical exertion. Risk factors mirror those of coronary artery disease, including high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and family history. Conditions that increase the heart's oxygen demand or reduce oxygen supply, such as anaemia or arrhythmias, can also precipitate angina episodes.

Symptoms of Angina

Chest tightness, pressure, or squeezing sensation, pain radiating to the arm, shoulder, jaw, or back, shortness of breath, fatigue with exertion, sweating, nausea, discomfort that eases with rest in stable angina, worsening or unpredictable pain in unstable angina

Treatment & Types of Angina in Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi

Treatment includes fast-acting nitrates to relieve acute episodes and longer-term medications such as beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and statins to reduce the frequency of attacks and manage underlying disease. Lifestyle modification including regular exercise within safe limits, dietary changes, and smoking cessation supports overall cardiac health. For significant coronary blockages or unstable angina, procedures such as angioplasty with stenting or bypass surgery may be recommended to restore adequate blood flow.

Angina is classified as stable angina, which occurs predictably with exertion and is relieved by rest, versus unstable angina, which occurs unpredictably at rest or with minimal exertion and signals a high risk of imminent heart attack requiring emergency care. A less common form, variant (Prinzmetal) angina, results from coronary artery spasm rather than fixed blockage and often occurs at rest, sometimes at night.

Cardiology Specialists in Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi (2)

Frequently Asked Questions