The term Angina refers to a particular type of chest discomfort caused by insufficient flow of oxygen laden blood through the blood vessels of the heart. Angina is not a disease, but a symptom of one of the most common heart disorders called, Coronary Artery Disease. This symptom manifests in form of pressure, heaviness, tightness, squeezing or sometimes acute aches in the muscles of chest. This pain then radiates to the neck, jaws, back, arms and in few cases, even teeth. Patients undergoing this condition often experience other discomforts like nausea, unusual sweating, cramping, breathlessness, weakness and heartburn.

The pattern of Angina attacks are classified into stable, variant and unstable Angina. The condition of stable Angina occurs when the heart works harder than its normal way. This usually happens when the patient subjects himself to strenuous exercises for hours. It is marked by a regular pattern which can be relieved by some rest or recommended medication.

Unstable Angina, as the name suggests, does not occur with any stable or particular identifiable pattern. This is a serious condition which can even trigger heart strokes / attacks, if not attended within a span of 15-20 minutes. 

Variant Angina is the rarest of all conditions. The main cause of this condition is the unusual narrowing of blood vessels which restrict the flow of blood.