According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute—a division of the National Institutes of Health—approximately 7 million Americans experience angina, and the condition occurs equally in men and women. Angina itself is not a disease, but it is a symptom of an underlying heart condition, such as coronary heart disease or CHD, which is the most common type of heart disease in adults. Angina has several characteristic signs and symptoms.
Chest Pain
Chest pain is the most common symptom associated with angina. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the NIH, angina is characterized by chest pain or discomfort caused when the heart's blood vessels fail to deliver sufficient amounts of blood to cardiac cells. The NIH notes that angina may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in a person's chest, or that it might feel like indigestion. Three types of angina can cause chest pain or discomfort: stable, unstable and variant. Stable angina occurs every time a person performs physical exertion, whereas unstable angina—which is the most dangerous type of angina—does not follow a pattern and may occur while a person is at rest. Variant angina—caused by the temporary spasm of a coronary artery—occurs spontaneously, almost always while a person is at rest. The NIH states that not all chest pain or discomfort is due to angina, and a person with chest pain should see her physician as soon as possible.
Arm, Neck, Jaw and Shoulder Pain
Arm, neck, jaw and shoulder pain are relatively common symptoms of angina. According to the American Heart Association or AHA, arm, neck, jaw and shoulder pain or discomfort are characteristic of unstable angina and often accompany central chest pain, fullness or squeezing. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or UPMC, states that angina usually starts as a constricting pain in the center of the chest, but over time, the pain or discomfort may radiate to the arm, neck, jaw or shoulder. UPMC also notes that sometimes angina causes only jaw pain, shoulder pain or pain in the upper abdomen, and a person may also experience numbness or tingling in the shoulders, arms, wrists or elbows. Effective methods for reducing angina-related pain or discomfort include the following: quitting smoking, consuming a healthy diet, managing stress effectively, avoiding temperature extremes and avoiding strenuous activities.
Nausea, Fatigue and Shortness of Breath
Nausea, fatigue and shortness of breath, or dyspnea, are signs and symptoms of angina. According to the Cleveland Clinic—one of the most preeminent hospitals in the United States—the symptoms of coronary heart disease, which is the primary cause of angina, can be different for women than for men. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of heart disease or angina in women include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, fatigue and nausea. The Cleveland Clinic states that, on average, heart disease symptoms including angina manifest approximately 10 years later in women than men, and heart attacks become common in women about a decade later than they do in men. According to the NIH, unexplained tiredness or fatigue after exercise or exertion—one of the symptoms associated with angina—is particularly common in women relative to men with the same condition.
