Stable angina is chest pain or discomfort that typically occurs with activity or stress. The pain usually begins slowly and gets worse over the next few minutes before going away. It quickly goes away with medication or rest, but may happen again with additional activity or stress.

Stable angina is also called chronic angina.

See also: Unstable angina

Angina is caused by too little blood flow to the heart. The most common cause of angina is coronary heart disease (CHD). Angina pectoris is the medical term for this type of chest pain.

Situations that increase blood flow to the heart may cause angina in people with CHD. These include exercise, heavy meals, and stress.

The risk factors for angina include:

• Being male
• Diabetes
• Family history of coronary heart disease before age 50
• High blood pressure
• High LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol
• Not getting enough exercise
• Obesity
• Smoking

Less common causes of angina include:

• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Anemia
• Coronary artery spasm (also called Prinzmetal's angina)
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland)

The most common symptom is chest pain that occurs behind the breastbone or slightly to the left. It may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. The pain may spread to shoulder, arm, jaw, neck, back, or other areas.

Some people say the pain feels like gas or indigestion.

The pain:

• Occurs after activity, stress, or exertion
• Lasts 1 to 15 minutes
• Is usually relieved with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin

Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and measure your blood pressure. The following tests may be done to diagnose or rule out angina:

• Coronary angiography
• ECG
• Exercise tolerance test (stress test or treadmill test)
• Stress echocardiogram