WordValeangina
chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart
In more detail
1. (noun) severe chest pain caused by not enough blood flow to the heart
2. (noun) a sore throat disease with inflammation, especially strep throat
Examples
- 1. He experienced angina while climbing the stairs and had to sit down to rest.
- 2. The doctor diagnosed her with angina and prescribed antibiotics.
How to use angina
Angina has two distinct medical meanings: the cardiac condition (angina pectoris) refers to chest discomfort from reduced heart blood flow, while the throat condition refers to inflammation of the pharynx or tonsils. In modern medical usage, the cardiac sense dominates in English-speaking countries, whereas the throat sense is more common in other languages and historical texts. Context and the patient's symptoms determine which meaning applies.
Common phrases
- angina attack
- suffer from angina
- angina pains
- stable angina
- unstable angina
- angina symptoms
Synonyms
chest pain · angina pectoris · cardiac pain · throat inflammation · pharyngitis
Word family
anginous
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse angina with a heart attack; angina is chest pain from insufficient blood flow, but a heart attack involves actual tissue death from blocked blood flow.
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