Chest pain (Angina)

Comprehensive Guide – Chest Pain – Angina Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Chest pain (angina) is one of the first warning signs that there is some underlying cardiovascular problem. Patients might experience squeezing, burning sensation, pain, tightness, and pressure in the chest area.


At Isha Hospital, Hyderabad, under the expert guidance of Dr. Nithin Annarapu, Senior Cardiologist, specializes in accurate diagnosis, timely intervention, and advanced treatment of chest pain and heart-related conditions. At Isha speciality clinics we ensure a world-class cardiac care with a patient-first approach.

Best Chest Pain (Angina) treatment at Isha Hospitals

At Isha Hospital, our patient first approach towards treating chest pain has tremendously benefitted patients. Our labs have state of the art devices with highly trained professionals handling them. Dr. Nithin Annarapu believes in providing personalized treatment plans. Whether may be the stage of your angina (mild, severe, or recurrent) our team will pay attention to every detail. Such comprehensive care has a chance to prevent any future heart attacks, heart failure, or arrhythmias.


Our chest pain treatment approach includes:

• End to end thorough diagnosis.
• Primary care to relieve immediate symptoms
• Medical and non-medical(life-style changes) treatment for Angina.
• Guidance to the patients on self care
• Regular follow up.

Understanding the basics of chest pain

As the name suggests angina is a discomfort or pain in the chest area. However not all types of chest pain are anginas. There are mainly two types of chest pains:-

• Cardiac/heart-related – Cardiac angina’s are caused due to narrow or blocked coronary arteries. This reduces the blood supply to the heart.
• Non-cardiac-related – This type of chest pain requires deeper analysis since it could be due to issues with the lungs, digestive system, muscle strain, or panic attacks.

A chest pain is termed as angina only if it is heart related where the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen-rich blood. This type of anginas are an indication of any future coronary artery disease (CAD). To prevent future heart failures anginas need immediate medical attention.

What are the symptoms of Chest Pain?

Chest pain can range from mild to a severe crushing pain. The pain could stay local or at times radiate into the arms, neck, jaw, back, or shoulders. Other common symptoms of chest pain are:-

• Tightness, pressure, burning sensation , or squeezing in the chest
• In serious cases the chest pain radiates to the left arm, jaw, back, or shoulders
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Light headedness, feeling dizzy and experiencing cold sweats
• Vomiting sensation or nausea
• Palpitating heart palpitations with an irregular heartbeat
• Severe weakness and inability to do even a small task.
• Extreme fatigue.

What Causes Chest Pain (Angina)?

Chest pain, commonly known as angina, can happen for several reasons. The main cause is reduced blood flow to the heart, often due to coronary artery disease, which is when plaque builds up in the arteries. Other possible causes of chest pain include:

Heart-related issues:

• Coronary artery spasm means the arteries tighten temporarily, reducing the blood flow. Due to reduced blood flow the patient feels tightness and squeezing in the chest.
• If there is a problem with the heart valves it affect the blood flow and causes pain.
• Pericarditis is a condition where there is inflammation in the lining around the heart, which can lead to chest pain.

Gastric issues:

• Acid reflux known as GERD can irritate the esophagus thus causing chest pain.
• When esophagus muscles contract they create sharp chest pain.

Muscle and bone injuries:

• Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs to the breastbone, causing local chest pain.
• An injury to the chest muscles (due to excessive physical work, or workout) can lead to pain.

Lung-related problems:

• Pulmonary embolism which is a blood clot in the lungs making it difficult to breathe and can cause sharp chest pain
• Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs, causing chest pain, while coughing or breathing.

• Anxiety and panic attacks also cause chest pain, accompanied by palpitating heart and gasping for breath

Above all if you are experiencing any unexplained or severe chest pain, please consult a doctor right away.

When to Consult a Doctor for Chest Pain (Angina)?

Chest pain (angina) is often the first indication of some heart condition. Though not all chest pains happen to be heart related or life threatening but still there could be issues with your digestive system, lungs or an internal injury. Any of these might require medical intervention. But under the following situations immediately contact an experienced cardiologist.:

• Are you having frequent episodes of chest pain?
• Are your regular daily activities resulting in chest pain?
• Does any of your immediate family member have a heart disease
• Do you have uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol?
• Do you experience constant fatigue and shortness of breath?

If the answer is yes to anyone or multiple of the above questions please consult an experienced heart care professional.

How is Chest Pain (Angina) diagnosed?

Determining the cause of chest pain is very crucial because not all pains are related to the heart. The following Diagnostic methods are used to evaluate the cause of chest pain:

• Understanding the patient’s symptoms which will give an important clue about the cause of the pain i.e. if it is heart related or not.
• Collecting their medical history especially diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol levels.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) test to measure the heart’s electrical activity.
• Blood Tests to check for Troponin, CK-MB which are the heart attack markers.
• Echocardiogram is an ultrasound that assesses the heart function.
• Stress Test is done under exertion to study the heart function.
• If none of the above tests are showing any conclusive results then coronary angiography is done to identify the blocked arteries.
• Cardiac CT Scan or MRI is the most advanced test which gives a detailed imaging of the heart.

Risk Factors for Chest Pain (Angina)

Risk factors for chest pain (angina) include:

• Coronary Artery Disease is the primary reason for angina. The blood supplying arteries get narrowed or blocked thus limiting the blood supply to the heart.
• High Blood Pressure damages the arteries gradually and raises the risk of angina.
• High cholesterol in the blood builds up plaque buildup in the arteries, limiting blood flow.
• Smoking harms the blood vessels, and lowers the oxygen in the blood thus increasing the risk of heart disease.
• Diabetes affects the blood vessels and raises the chances of heart problems.
• Obesity leads to associated risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
• A lethargic non-active life leads to obesity and increases the risk of heart disease.
• You are under constant pressure and stress which will strain the heart and lead to unhealthy habits.
• The risk of angina is higher for men over 45 and women over 55.
• If there is a history of heart disease in the immediate family, your risk of angina is higher.
• Being on an unhealthy diet of eating a lot of saturated fats, trans fats, and salt. Such a diet causes obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol.

Understanding these risk factors is important for preventing and managing angina. If you have chest pain, talk to a healthcare professional.

What to Do If You See Someone Having Chest Pain?

You can be a real life saver if you do any of the following when you see someone having chest pain:

• Make sure that they are awake and keep them calm.
• Immediately call emergency medical services or if there is any hospital nearby take them there.
• Loosen any tight clothes to help them feel comfortable.
• Keep a note of their condition which would be helpful to explain to the doctors later. Observe their breathing pattern, colour of the skin, whether they are sweating or fainting.
• If the person is becoming unresponsive and unable to breathe you can perform CPR as long as you are trained in it.
• Stay with them until the medical help arrives to give them any kind of quick support they may need.

Acting quickly can save a life. Always call for help.

How to prevent Chest Pain (Angina)?

Preventing chest pain is an important milestone to protect the health of the heart. To prevent chest pain like angina, follow these steps:

• Replace saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats.
• A minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week which improves blood flow to the heart.
• Maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
• Smoking is the most prominent reason for angina. Get external help if you have trouble quitting on your own.
• Manage your stress levels by doing meditation, yoga, and deep breathing regularly.
• Control blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
• Cut down on alcohol as it may lead to high blood pressure and heart problems.

If you have any of the risk factors make a regular appointment with your doctor and monitor the health of your heart.


Be regular with your medication for heart conditions, diabetes, hypertension or cholesterol. Managing the risk factors will prevent angina in the future.


If you feel chest pain, see a healthcare professional to find out the cause and get the right treatment.

Treatment Options for Chest Pain (Angina) at Isha Speciality Clinics

Based on the severity of the condition Dr.Nithin Annarapu provides the most suitable treatment.


Suggesting Lifestyle Changes in regards to eating healthy diet and doing regular activity focusing on strengthening the heart. The patients are also advised to cut down on their alcohol intake and smoking habit.

Medications:

• Nitrates to relax the blood vessels so that the blood flow to the heart is improved.
• Beta-Blockers help in lowering the blood pressure.
• Calcium Channel Blockers relax the blood vessels so the heart can work easily.
• Antiplatelet agents like aspirin prevent blood clots.
• Statins reduce cholesterol levels.

Medical Procedures:

• Angioplasty and Stenting is a non-surgical procedure to open up the blocked arteries.
• In a Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery, the doctors use blood vessels from other parts of the body. The clogged arteries are bypassed.

It’s important to work with a healthcare provider to find the best treatment plan based on your symptoms and medical history.

About Isha Specialty Clinic, Hyderabad

Isha Specialty Clinic is the best Hospital in Manikonda for your heart care and child care. For all your heart related care we are a one stop solution. Our expert team of doctors and state of the art labs offer you comprehensive heart care services. When you visit us you will experience the best paediatric care, children nutrition advice and best cardiologist treatment in Hyderabad. Isha Specialty clinics are located at various convenient locations in Hyderabad such as Manikonda, Gachibowli, Banjara Hills and Toli Chowki, Mehdipatnam, Narsingi, Alkapur township.

Our expert team of doctors

Dr. Nithin Annarapu – MBBS, MD – General Medicine, DM – Cardiology

Dr. Nithin Annarapu has more than a decade of heart care experience. 18 Years Experience Overall (12 years as heart specialist). Dr. Nithin Annarapu is an Interventional Cardiologist in Manikonda Hyderabad and has an experience of 18 years in heart treatment, surgeries and cardiac procedures. Dr. Nithin Annarapu Annarapu practicing at Isha Speciality Clinics Manikonda, near Gachibowli in Hyderabad. He completed MBBS from Siddhartha Medical College & Research in 2002, MD – General Medicine from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad in 2006 and DM – Cardiology from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad in 2010.

Dr. Swathy Talishetty – MBBS (Osmania), MD (Niloufer) – Child and Newborn Specialist (Paediatric Doctor)

Dr. Swathy Talishetty is a top rated child care specialist. Dr.Swathy is an alumnus of Osmania Medical College where she completed her MBBS in 2007 and later on pursued her MD in Pediatrics from Niloufer Hospital in 2012. Dr Talishetty Swathi has specialized in:-

• Newborn and infant care
• Immunization
• Growth and development monitoring
• Preterm baby management
• Childhood overweight management.

Dr. Swathy Talishetty’s compassionate approach, combined with her in-depth knowledge of pediatric nutrition, enables her to offer comprehensive care that addresses both medical and nutritional needs of children, ensuring their healthy growth and development. Get children treatment and pediatric nutrition consultation with Dr. Swathy Talishetty at Isha Speciality Clinics Manikonda, nearby Gachibowli and Narsingi areas in Hyderabad.

Major Treatments at Isha Speciality Clinics

Heart treatment

• Mitral valve replacement surgery
• Heart valve replacement and repair
• Coronary Angioplasty
• Coronary Angiogram
• Cardiac catheterization
• Angioplasty

Pain treatment

• Thoracic epidural injections
• Cervical epidural injections
• Intraarticular joint injections
• Nerve Block
• Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy
• Lumbar Epidural Injections

Pediatric Care

• Newborn and infant care
• Immunization
• Growth and development monitoring
• Preterm baby management
• Childhood overweight management.

For guidance and check-ups, call 96760 70203 today. Our expert cardiologists at Isha Specialty Clinic will guide you with personalized heart care plans.


For expert heart care, book a consultation today at Isha Specialty Clinic, Hyderabad (Call: 96760 70203).


For emergency care or appointments, contact Isha Heart Clinic, Manikonda – Hyderabad at 96760 7020 Dr. Nithin Annarapu Book an appointment today for expert heart care!