Symptom of Angina Pectoris

Angina pectoris is a heavy, constrictive pain in the centre of the chest, behind the sternum or on the left side of the front of the chest. The pain can reach out towards the arms and be experienced in the throat, stomach and jaw. It can be triggered by exercise, stress, cold or even a heavy meal and in these cases the pain should disappear within ten minutes. The main cause of angina is coronary atherosclerosis, which is the thickening of the arteries that are supplying blood to the heart. They reduce the blood flow to the heart muscle, which can cause the pain. Angina can be caused by illnesses such as heart valve diseases and hypertrophy, which is the thickening of the heart muscle.

Preventing angina can be as simple as eating a healthy diet, stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and taking regular exercise. Treatment can be prescribed by a doctor in the form of medicine and more serious cases may need to be treated by an interventional procedure such as a bypass operation or the dilation of a narrow coronary artery.

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