Which chest pain symptom is associated with reduced blood flow to the heart muscle and is a sign of CAD?

Which chest pain symptom is associated with reduced blood flow to the heart muscle and is a sign of CAD?

• A. Angina pectoris
• B. Myocardial infarction
• C. Aneurysm
• D. Hypertension

Answer: (A)

The chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle is angina pectoris. It happens when the coronary arteries are narrowed by atherosclerosis, so during activity or stress the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. That mismatch between oxygen supply and demand leads to ischemia and the characteristic discomfort of angina. Descriptions often include pressure, squeezing, or tightness in the chest, sometimes radiating to the neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm, lasting a few minutes and relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. In the setting of coronary artery disease, angina is a classic sign of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial infarction, by contrast, is when prolonged ischemia causes heart muscle tissue to die due to a complete or severe blockage; it’s an emergency and represents tissue damage rather than the reversible ischemia that causes stable angina. An aneurysm involves a ballooned, weakened section of a vessel and isn’t a typical chest-pain symptom specific to CAD. Hypertension is high blood pressure and, while it raises CAD risk, it isn’t defined by a chest pain symptom from reduced coronary blood flow.

The chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle is angina pectoris. It happens when the coronary arteries are narrowed by atherosclerosis, so during activity or stress the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. That mismatch between oxygen supply and demand leads to ischemia and the characteristic discomfort of angina. Descriptions often include pressure, squeezing, or tightness in the chest, sometimes radiating to the neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm, lasting a few minutes and relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. In the setting of coronary artery disease, angina is a classic sign of myocardial ischemia.

Myocardial infarction, by contrast, is when prolonged ischemia causes heart muscle tissue to die due to a complete or severe blockage; it’s an emergency and represents tissue damage rather than the reversible ischemia that causes stable angina. An aneurysm involves a ballooned, weakened section of a vessel and isn’t a typical chest-pain symptom specific to CAD. Hypertension is high blood pressure and, while it raises CAD risk, it isn’t defined by a chest pain symptom from reduced coronary blood flow.