Angina, stable - What are the symptoms?

Angina feels like a discomfort or pain, usually in your chest. It typically starts when you do something active and goes away when you rest.

Angina affects different people in different ways. Here's a list of the most common ways people describe how it feels.[2] [1]

It can feel like a weight on your chest or a squeezing, crushing or gripping sensation.
Some people say it's more of a discomfort than a pain, or more of a feeling of pressure or strangling.[3]
The feeling is usually in the middle of the chest, spreading out to both sides.
But you can also get it in your neck and jaw, or less often in your back. Or it may go down one or both of your arms and make them feel heavy.
You may feel as if you have indigestion.
The pain might also start somewhere else and only later spread to your chest.
You may be breathless and sweaty. Or you may feel sick or exhausted. Sometimes being breathless is the only symptom.
But some people have only a slight discomfort. And others don't get any discomfort at all. They just feel that they have to stop whatever they're doing, like walking.
You may also feel uneasy and anxious.

If you have stable angina, the discomfort or pain typically starts when you do something active, like walk up a hill, go up stairs or garden. It can also start when you eat a heavy meal, go out in cold weather, or get angry, upset or excited.

You get symptoms regularly and you usually know when they're going to happen because of what you are doing. (In another type of angina, called unstable angina, you get symptoms while doing less. You can even get symptoms when you're not doing anything. To learn more, see Other types of angina.)

How much activity it takes to bring on an attack can vary a lot, even in the same person. For example, you may find that you can do a lot less in the early mornings. And you may find that only a little exercise brings on an attack, but after a rest you can do much more.

Usually, the discomfort of angina goes away when you stop and rest. It typically lasts between one minute and three minutes. It may take longer to go away after you've been angry or upset. If you have discomfort that lasts only a few seconds or a dull ache lasting for hours, it's probably not angina.[1]

Not everyone's angina is the same. But your angina will have a similar pattern every time you have an attack. It's important to recognise what brings on your angina and what your pattern is like. This will help to treat it. And it will help you tell if something more serious is happening.

Tell your doctor about any changes in the pattern of your angina. Your medicine may need adjusting or you may need more tests. And get medical help straight away if your discomfort or pain:

Comes on more often than usual
Lasts for longer than usual
Comes on when you are resting or in bed
Is worse than usual
Doesn't go away, even after you've taken your angina medicine under your tongue three times.

These may be signs that you will have a heart attack soon.

Pain in your chest isn't always angina. Sometimes you get chest pain from conditions that don't affect your heart. But only your doctor can say for sure, so be sure to get it checked out. For more, see Other causes of chest pain.

References

Gibbons RJ, Abrams J, Chatterjee K, et al. ACC/AHA. 2002 guideline update for the management of patients with chronic stable angina. March 2003. Available at http://www.acc.org/qualityandscience/clinical/statements.htm (accessed on 16 January 2006).
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Management of stable angina: a national clinical guideline. February 2007. SIGN clinical guideline 96. Available at http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign96.pdf (accessed on 5 June 2007).
Rosengren A, Hagman M, Wedel H, et al. Serum cholesterol and long-term prognosis in middle-aged men with myocardial infarction and angina pectoris: a 16-year follow-up of the Primary Prevention Study in Goteborg, Sweden. European Heart Journal. 1997; 18: 754-761.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.