Acute angina is a condition caused by narrowed coronary arteries, resulting in sudden chest pain, nausea, dizziness, and heart palpitations. It is different from a heart attack and can be relieved with rest or nitroglycerin. There are two types: stable and unstable angina, with the latter requiring immediate medical attention. Symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, anxiety, sweating, and fatigue.
Acute angina is a condition that occurs when there is suddenly not enough blood flowing to the heart. Symptoms usually include sudden chest pain, nausea, dizziness, and heart palpitations and tend to go away with rest. Because of this, it is different from a heart attack, although this condition is a common symptom of coronary artery disease, meaning it needs immediate medical attention. In many cases, this problem is caused by coronary arteries that have become too narrow to allow enough blood to flow to the heart.
Most cases occur as a result of activity, including during or shortly after exercise, a heavy meal, or even stress. All of these activities can require more oxygen from the blood flowing to the heart than usual, resulting in narrowed coronary arteries being unable to keep up with the demand. In most cases, the symptoms disappear within minutes, as soon as the patient rests or puts a nitroglycerin tablet in their mouth, as both actions can reduce blood pressure. This is what separates the symptoms of acute angina from those of a heart attack, as signs of the latter condition usually don’t go away with rest.
There are two types of this condition, the most common being stable angina. Patients with stable angina usually have an idea of when their symptoms will set in, as they often come on when they are active and go away with rest or nitroglycerin. On the other hand, unstable angina is more severe, with symptoms that can occur at any time and usually don’t go away with rest or nitroglycerin. In fact, this condition usually precedes a heart attack, so it requires immediate medical attention. Fortunately, this type is much rarer than stable angina.
The most common symptom of acute angina is usually chest pain, which is usually described as pressure, heaviness, or even a sharp shooting pain. This sign may be accompanied by heart palpitations, with a feeling that the heart is about to leave the chest. Indigestion, nausea and even vomiting can occur simultaneously, causing severe discomfort to the patient. Another symptom of acute angina is often dizziness or shortness of breath, which is due to reduced oxygen flow to the brain. Not surprisingly, anxiety, sweating and fatigue also often occur during the sudden onset of acute angina, especially if the patient is unaware of what is happening.
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