What should you know about angina symptoms?

Discomfort may spread to the arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, back, or upper abdomen. Some people also notice shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, or unusual fatigue.

Stable angina often follows a recognisable pattern: exertion, emotional strain, cold weather, or a heavy meal brings discomfort, and rest or prescribed fast-acting medicine relieves it. Angina can also occur at rest, particularly when a coronary artery spasms.

Symptoms vary in location and intensity, so the absence of dramatic chest pain does not rule out a heart problem. Heartburn, chest-wall pain, and lung conditions can feel similar; clinical assessment is needed to separate them.

When familiar symptoms begin, stop the activity and rest. Use prescribed rescue medicine according to your personal plan. Note the start time, sensation, affected areas, trigger, associated symptoms, duration, and response to rest or medicine.

Book medical review for recurring discomfort or a first episode that has fully settled. Your clinician may examine you, review cardiovascular risks and medicines, perform an electrocardiogram, and decide whether blood tests or further heart testing are appropriate.

Call emergency services for new, severe, worsening, or persistent chest discomfort, especially if it occurs at rest or with breathlessness, cold sweat, nausea, faintness, or pain spreading to the arm, shoulder, back, neck, or jaw. A heart attack can resemble angina, so do not try to diagnose the cause yourself or drive to hospital.

If you already have an angina action plan, follow it while arranging help. Seek urgent assessment when an established symptom pattern changes, even when the latest episode has stopped.

Discuss whether your symptoms fit stable angina, what tests are appropriate, how active you can safely be, and how each prescribed medicine should be used. Ask for a written plan explaining what to do if discomfort returns or no longer settles in its familiar way.