Angina is a medical condition characterized by pain, pressure or tightness within the chest. This chest pain occurs when the flow of blood to your heart muscle is interrupted in some way. The symptoms of angina can be caused by a number of factors. If you develop angina, seek emergency medical care immediately to ensure that you receive appropriate treatment and care.
Artery Blockage
One of the most common causes of angina--specifically unstable angina--is artery blockage due to coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries that bring blood to your heart muscle become blocked by fatty plaques that build up along the inside of these narrow tubes, a condition called atherosclerosis. Abnormal blood clots within the coronary arteries can also block the flow of blood to your heart, which can cause angina. These causes of angina can lead to heart muscle damage or heart attack in certain people.
Artery Spasm
If the arteries that supply blood to your heart abnormally tighten (spasm), you can experience a specific type of angina called variant, or Prinzmeta's, angina. When your artery tightens, blood flow to the heart is stopped momentarily, and it then proceeds to resume normally once the spasm ends. An artery spasm can be triggered by external factors, such as smoking, emotional stress or exposure to cold temperatures. Certain people may also have atherosclerosis in addition to coronary artery spasms, which can cause more frequent episodes of variant angina. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic report that this form of angina accounts for 2 percent of all angina cases.
Physical Exertion
When you exert physical energy while walking or running, your heart muscle requires higher levels of oxygen to function normally. Narrowed coronary arteries can prevent the flow of sufficiently oxygenated blood to your heart during exercise, which can cause a type of angina called stable angina. This form of angina can also occur if you experience emotional stress or are exposed to very cold or hot temperatures, explains the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Certain people can also experience symptoms of stable angina after eating a large, heavy meal or smoking a cigarette.
