What should you know about angina sharp pain?

Angina develops when heart muscle temporarily receives less oxygen-rich blood than it needs. A typical episode may follow exertion, emotional strain or cold exposure and can spread to an arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, back or upper abdomen. Some heart-related discomfort feels unusual, so a sharp sensation does not exclude angina.

Pain that changes with a deep breath, body position, movement or pressure on the chest can arise from the chest wall, lungs or lining around the heart, among other causes. Those clues help a clinician, but they are not a home diagnosis.

Stop exertion, sit somewhere safe and notice when the pain began, where it travels, what triggers it and whether breathlessness, sweating, nausea or dizziness occurs. If you have a prescribed angina action plan or medicine, follow its instructions exactly; do not take another person's medication.

Arrange a clinical assessment for new, recurrent or changing chest pain even if it settles. The clinician may compare the pattern with your medical history, examine you and use an electrocardiogram or other tests where appropriate.

Call local emergency services for chest pain that is severe, new, persistent, worsening, occurring at rest or different from your established pattern. Treat pain with breathlessness, fainting, marked sweating, nausea, weakness, or discomfort spreading to the arm, jaw, back or shoulder as an emergency. Do not drive yourself.

Ask which features of your pain suggest a heart, lung, digestive or chest-wall cause; whether an ECG or further testing is appropriate; what to do during another episode; and whether blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes or current medicines change your care plan.