Angina pectoris is best defined as which of the following?

Angina pectoris is best defined as which of the following?

• A. Ischemic disease causing lack of O2 to the heart
• B. Bacterial infection of heart muscle
• C. Inflammation of arteries
• D. Chest pain from a pulmonary embolism

Answer: (A)

Angina pectoris is defined by chest discomfort that arises from myocardial ischemia—when the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough oxygen because coronary blood flow is insufficient to meet its demand. This imbalance is often due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries from atherosclerosis, and it can be triggered by exertion or stress, improving with rest or nitroglycerin as the oxygen supply catches up with demand. It’s about reversible oxygen deprivation of the heart muscle, not an infection, artery inflammation, or chest pain from a pulmonary embolism. The other options describe different conditions (infection of the heart muscle, arterial inflammation, or embolic chest pain) and do not capture the ischemic, oxygen-delivery problem that defines angina.

Angina pectoris is defined by chest discomfort that arises from myocardial ischemia—when the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough oxygen because coronary blood flow is insufficient to meet its demand. This imbalance is often due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries from atherosclerosis, and it can be triggered by exertion or stress, improving with rest or nitroglycerin as the oxygen supply catches up with demand. It’s about reversible oxygen deprivation of the heart muscle, not an infection, artery inflammation, or chest pain from a pulmonary embolism. The other options describe different conditions (infection of the heart muscle, arterial inflammation, or embolic chest pain) and do not capture the ischemic, oxygen-delivery problem that defines angina.