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Signs & Symptoms of Unstable Angina

When your heart is not getting enough oxygen, a type of acute chest pain called unstable angina may occur. In medical terminology, acute pain means the pain comes on very suddenly and may be severe. Acute chest pain may appear, change and worsen very quickly. Unstable angina can be a warning sign that a heart attack may happen soon.

  1. Chest Pain

    • A main symptom of unstable angina is the sudden onset of chest pain. This pain may be felt in other areas of the upper body including the arm, shoulder, back, neck or jaw. Resting will usually not take reduce the symptoms of an unstable angina.

    Feeling

    • Pain from unstable angina may feel crushing, burning, tight, squeezing, choking or aching. It has also been described as simply discomfort or heaviness. The pain associated with the condition will not easily go away with medicine once the onset has begun.

    Other Symptoms

    • Other symptoms may include upper stomach pain that could be mistaken for heartburn. The elderly, diabetics and women are more likely to have symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath and weakness. You may have trouble breathing, feel very tired or have nausea or vomiting.

    Stable Angina

    • Chest discomfort or pain that usually occurs with activity, stress or when otherwise not at rest is called stable angina. This type of pain typically begins slowly and may progress in severity before going away after a few minutes. Patients with stable angina may be developing unstable angina if the pain in the chest is lasting longer than 15 to 20 minutes, is occurring at different times or is starting to feel different.

    Risk Factors

    • Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of unstable angina. Risk factors include diabetes, aging, high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, lack of exercise, obesity and smoking. Males and those individuals with a family history of coronary heart disease before the age of 50 are also at higher risk for developing the condition.

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