Angina is chest discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. It is usually a symptom of coronary heart disease. Stable angina follows a predictable pattern, while new, worsening or resting pain may be unstable angina and must be treated as an emergency.
Symptoms
Angina may feel like pressure, tightness, squeezing, heaviness or burning in the chest. Discomfort can spread to the arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, back or upper abdomen. Breathlessness, nausea, sweating, dizziness or unusual tiredness may occur, sometimes without obvious chest pain.
Common triggers
Stable angina is often triggered by exercise, emotional stress, cold weather or a large meal and improves with rest or prescribed nitrate medicine. A change in the pattern, greater frequency, longer duration or symptoms at rest needs urgent assessment.
Diagnosis
A clinician will review symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors. Tests may include an electrocardiogram, blood tests, echocardiography, exercise or stress imaging, CT coronary angiography or invasive coronary angiography.
Treatment and prevention
Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and reduce heart-attack risk. Medicines may include nitrates, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, antiplatelet treatment and cholesterol-lowering medicines. Some people need angioplasty with a stent or coronary bypass surgery. Stopping smoking, managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, physical activity suited to clinical advice and cardiac rehabilitation are also important.
What to do during a diagnosed angina attack
Stop, sit down and rest. Use glyceryl trinitrate exactly as prescribed. Follow your personal emergency plan. If symptoms do not settle after the instructed doses and timing, call emergency services.
When to seek emergency help
Call emergency services for new or unexplained chest pain, pain at rest, pain that is stronger or different from usual, or discomfort that does not improve promptly. Treat chest pressure with sweating, nausea, breathlessness, faintness or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back as a possible heart attack. Do not drive yourself.
Sources
Reviewed: 28 August 2026