Aetiology
Angina is pain caused by regional myocardial ischaemia (1). Ischaemia develops when there is inadequate coronary artery blood supply (oxygen demand exceeds supply) (1).
Ischaemia develops when oxygen demand exceeds supply.
The commonest cause of myocardial ischaemia is reduced oxygen supply due to atherosclerotic coronary artery stenosis.
Other causes of reduced oxygen supply include:
- thrombus formation on fissured atheromatous plaque
- coronary artery spasm
- tachycardia, which reduces the time during diastole when blood flows most rapidly through the coronary arteries
- anaemia and carbon monoxide poisoning
Causes of increased oxygen demand include:
- exertion
- hypertension
- tachycardia
- aortic stenosis
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Reference:
1. NICE CKS, November 2020. Angina.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page