What is the trigger for angina pectoris

By Rohan Wagle, M.D.

Have you ever seen an actor in an old movie dramatically clutch his chest and pop a pill when he gets shocking news?

Chances are the culprit is angina, sometimes called angina pectoris, which is chest pain brought on by decreased blood flow to the heart.

And while it may be humorous to watch an actor ham it up, angina is no laughing matter. It’s a warning sign that something, usually a fatty build-up called plaque or a blood clot, is causing your arteries to be too narrow. Knowing the triggers for and treating angina may help you avoid a heart attack.

What is the trigger for angina pectoris

Know the Triggers

When your heart doesn’t need much oxygen, such as when you’re relaxed and resting, it can usually beat along with no problem. But if something happens to increase the heart’s need for oxygen, angina symptoms may strike.

Triggers for angina pain include:

  • Physical exertion
  • Stress or anger
  • Hot or cold temperatures
  • Large or heavy meals
  • Smoking

Treatment Depends on Severity

Not surprisingly, the same lifestyle choices that help you have a healthier heart may help keep angina at bay. If your angina is mild, they may be enough to curb symptoms.

Even if you take medicine for angina, you should still follow these guidelines. Making heart-healthy choices is the most important thing you can do for your heart and angina.

What is the trigger for angina pectoris

  • Avoid tobacco and second-hand smoke.
  • Keep other health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, under control.
  • Eat a healthy diet and avoid large, rich meals.
  • Watch your weight.
  • Talk to your doctor about safe exercise options.
  • Avoid over-exertion by taking frequent breaks and not overdoing it.
  • Try to keep stress levels low.

If lifestyle changes don’t give you relief, your doctor may recommend medication. There are several types out there, including medicines to:

  • Let more blood flow to the heart by widening or relaxing blood vessels.
  • Decrease heart rate.
  • Prevent blood clots.
  • Lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

If neither of these approaches help, you may need surgery to treat the heart disease causing angina. The most common procedures are angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting.

What is the trigger for angina pectoris

Take Angina Seriously

Never ignore chest pain or try to diagnose it yourself.

  • If you have chest pain, talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
  • If you have chest pain that lasts more than 5 minutes and doesn’t go away when you rest, this may be sign of a heart attack. You should seek emergency care immediately.

Do you or a family member have angina? How do you handle it?

Angina is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles. It's not usually life threatening, but it's a warning sign that you could be at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

With treatment and healthy lifestyle changes, it's possible to control angina and reduce the risk of these more serious problems.

Symptoms of angina

The main symptom of angina is chest pain.

Chest pain caused by angina usually:

  • feels tight, dull or heavy – it may spread to your arms, neck, jaw or back
  • is triggered by physical exertion or stress
  • stops within a few minutes of resting

Sometimes there might be other symptoms, like feeling sick or breathless.

When to get medical help

If you have not been diagnosed with angina, get an urgent GP appointment if you have an attack of chest pain that stops within a few minutes of resting.

They can check if it might be a heart problem and refer you to a hospital for tests.

Find out more about how angina is diagnosed

Call 999 for an ambulance if you have chest pain that does not stop after a few minutes. This could be a heart attack.

Types

There are 2 main types of angina you can be diagnosed with:

  • stable angina (more common) – attacks have a trigger (such as stress or exercise) and stop within a few minutes of resting
  • unstable angina (more serious) – attacks are more unpredictable (they may not have a trigger) and can continue despite resting

Some people develop unstable angina after having stable angina.

Treatment for angina

You'll probably need to take several different medicines for the rest of your life.

You may be given medicine to:

  • treat attacks when they happen (only taken when needed)
  • prevent further attacks
  • reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes

If medicines are not suitable or do not help, an operation to improve blood flow to your heart muscles may be recommended.

Living with angina

If it's well controlled, there's no reason why you cannot have a largely normal life with angina.

You can usually continue to do most of your normal activities.

One of the most important things you'll need to do is to make healthy lifestyle changes, such as:

  • having a balanced diet
  • cutting down on alcohol
  • stopping smoking if you smoke
  • losing weight if you're overweight
  • exercising regularly – gentle exercises are usually safe

This can help reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Causes of angina

Angina is usually caused by the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscles becoming narrowed by a build-up of fatty substances.

This is called atherosclerosis.

Things that can increase your risk of atherosclerosis include:

  • an unhealthy diet
  • a lack of exercise
  • smoking
  • increasing age
  • a family history of atherosclerosis or heart problems

Video: Angina

In this video an expert describes the symptoms, stages and treatment of angina.

Media last reviewed: 1 September 2021
Media review due: 1 September 2024

Page last reviewed: 22 April 2021
Next review due: 22 April 2024