Angina is a common symptom of heart disease. In the 19th century doctors could not decide whether angina was a disease of the nerves or whether it was simply a symptom of heart disease. Early in the 19th century whilst (Darwinian) evolutionary theory was still being seriously challenged a group of "experts" decided that angina was a natural warning mechanism. Since that time this theory has been generally accepted by the vast majority of people.
In the UK, about 1 in 50 people have angina but in males aged between 40 and 64 this rises to 1 in 10. (British Heart Foundation Mission Statement 2002) Angina is more common in people from the Indian sub-continent and those with diabetes, the former may be due to many factors such as differences in diet and/or exercise frequency among certain cultures. Also, before the menopause, women are less likely to develop angina than men are but, after that, the likelihood is similar.
Angina is most often described as an unpleasant feeling or discomfort, like a tightness or weight on the chest, but it can be defined as "Chest pain that occurs secondary to the inadequate delivery of oxygen to the heart muscle. Often described as a heavy or squeezing pain in the mid sternal area of the chest-. (Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary 2002) Basically, angina is a temporary reduction in blood flow to the heart, but causes no damage to the heart muscle itself. It usually only lasts a few minutes and can be relieved by rest and/or medication. With proper treatment, patients may have angina for years without serious complications. However, there is a very real risk that angina can lead to a myocardial infarction, i.e. a heart attack. A heart attack is defined as "Sudden interruption or insufficiency of the supply of blood to the heart, typically resulting from occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery and often characterized by severe chest pain."" (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 2000) .
