What is Angina?
Angina pectoris is the medical term for recurring chest pain. It is a sign that the arteries that supply oxygenated blood to your heart (the coronary arteries) are not able to deliver a sufficient volume. Although there can be several causes of angina, by far the most common is that the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked with accumulated deposits.
More than three million Americans suffer from the agonizing chest pain of angina. For these patients, even simple tasks such as walking up stairs or carrying groceries can produce excruciating pain that usually starts at the chest and spreads to the arms, neck and sometimes the jaws. Untreated, angina limits the extent to which its sufferers can participate in life.