What should you know about exertional angina treatment?

Angina is chest discomfort caused when the heart muscle temporarily receives less oxygen-rich blood than it needs. Physical effort, emotional stress, cold air, or a heavy meal can increase the heart's workload and bring symptoms on. The discomfort may feel like pressure, squeezing, heaviness, or tightness, and can spread to the arm, neck, jaw, shoulder, or back. Read more about [Angina](/conditions/angina/) and [Chest Tightness](/symptoms/chest-tightness/).

A clinician may review your pattern of symptoms, examine you, and arrange tests such as an [Electrocardiogram](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/ecg/). Other checks can look for contributing conditions such as [Hypertension](/conditions/hypertension/).

Take prescribed medicines exactly as directed. Depending on your assessment, treatment may include medicine used during symptoms, medicine that reduces the heart's workload, [Blood Pressure Medication](/treatments/medical-management/blood-pressure-medication/), or [Statin Therapy](/treatments/medical-management/statin-therapy/). Do not stop a heart medicine suddenly without medical advice.

Keep a record of what triggers discomfort, how long it lasts, and what relieves it. Pace activity, allow warm-up and recovery time, avoid exercising through chest pain, and follow the activity plan given by your clinician. Smoking cessation, a heart-supportive eating pattern, sleep, and management of blood pressure and cholesterol can support treatment.

Stop and seek emergency help for chest discomfort that is severe, new, occurs at rest, lasts longer than expected, or does not improve with the action in your personalised plan. Urgent symptoms also include marked breathlessness, fainting, cold sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, back, or shoulder. Do not drive yourself if you may be having a heart emergency.

Ask what your symptoms are most consistent with, which tests you need, how to use each medicine, what activity limits apply, and exactly when to call emergency services. Ask whether blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or smoking changes your treatment plan.