How Can You Tell If You're Experiencing Angina Or a Heart Attack?

Answer 1

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition that develops when the arteries that supply blood to the heart are occluded by fatty plaques. The heart does not receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients to function properly. CAD's primary symptom is angina.

CAD is the number one cause of death throughout the world. In the U.S. it's estimated that half of all men and one-third of all women past the age of 40 will develop CAD at some point in their lives.

What Is Angina?

Angina is chest pain that develops when the heart isn't receiving enough oxygen. There are two types of angina:

Stable angina: Stable angina occurs with activity or stress when the heart is working harder than usual. Its symptoms generally abate when the activity that initiated the episode ends. Individuals who suffer from stable angina can generally predict which activities will bring it on, how long an episode will last, and how long it will take for medication to relieve symptoms.

Unstable angina: As its name suggests, unstable angina follows no pattern. Unstable angina can occur with or without physical exertion, and often the pain associated with unstable angina is far more severe than the pain associated with stable angina. Unstable angina is a medical emergency: Individuals suffering from unstable angina need medical attention right away.

How Can You Tell Angina From a Heart Attack?

Angina is not the same thing as a myocardial infarction or heart attack although the two sets of symptoms resemble one another. A heart attack is a more serious manifestation of CAD that takes place when the heart is deprived of oxygen for so long, heart cells start to die. Episodes of angina, particularly unstable angina, increase the likelihood that a heart attack may occur.

Like a heart attack, angina is experienced as pain or pressure in the chest. Sometimes the pain will be associated with other symptoms such as sweating and respiratory difficulties. An angina episode usually lasts between one and ten minutes and subsides with rest.

The pain associated with a heart attack, on the other hand, lasts longer than 10 minutes and does not go away with rest.

An individual with a history of angina should seek medical attention immediately if:

• Chest pain occurs without exertion
• Chest pain is more severe than previous angina episodes
• Chest pain is accompanied by weakness, syncope or nausea
• Chest pain lasts longer than 20 minutes and appears to be worsening
• Three nitroglycerine tablets do not relieve the pain