Heart attack and stroke symptoms can both look different for women than they do for men.
Most of us have been raised to recognise the symptoms of both by their typical male presentation, so it’s worth learning its signs for women too.
But few of us have been taught to recognise the signs of angina, a chest pain that comes about due to reduced blood flow to the heart, at all.
The NHS says that angina is a sign you might be at a higher risk of stroke or heart attack, though it’s possible to reduce those odds with lifestyle changes and medicine if needed.
Its main symptom is chest pain ― but what are the other symptoms and when should you worry?
Angina’s symptoms can be felt in your chest and back
According to the NHS, the main symptom of angina is chest pain.
That chest pain usually:
- feels tight, dull or heavy – it may spread to your arms, neck, jaw or back
- is triggered by physical exertion or stress
- stops within a few minutes of resting, the NHS says.
You might also feel sick of out of breath, they add.
There are two types of angina; stable angina, which is the most common kind, usually comes on after a trigger like exercise. It gets better after a few minutes.
This is the more common type of angina.
More rarely, people can get unstable angina, where the chest pain comes out of nowhere. It might not get better after rest and is more serious than stable angina.
Sometimes, people with stable angina go on to develop unstable angina.
When should I see a doctor?
“If you have not been diagnosed with angina, get an urgent GP appointment if you have an attack of chest pain that stops within a few minutes of resting,” the NHS says.
If you have heart pain that doesn’t stop for a few minutes, call 999 or go to A&E as this could be a sign of a heart attack.
“If it’s well controlled, there’s no reason why you cannot have a largely normal life with angina,” the NHS explains.