Unstable angina
| Unstable angina | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Crescendo angina |
| Illustration depicting angina | |
| Specialty | Cardiology |
| Symptoms | Chest pain or chest discomfort at rest or minimal exertion, or a new onset chest pain or discomfort on exertion. |
| Complications | Coronary artery disease |
| Causes | Each time a clot blocks blood flow in an artery, vasospasm |
Unstable angina is a type of angina pectoris that is irregular or more easily provoked. It is classified as a type of acute coronary syndrome.
It can be difficult to distinguish unstable angina from non-ST elevation (non-Q wave) myocardial infarction. They differ primarily in whether the ischemia is severe enough to cause sufficient damage to the heart's muscular cells to release detectable quantities of a marker of injury, typically troponin T or troponin I. Unstable angina is considered to be present in patients with ischemic symptoms suggestive of an acute coronary syndrome and no change in troponin levels, with or without changes indicative of ischemia (e.g., ST segment depression or transient elevation or new T wave inversion) on electrocardiograms.