Chest Pain Classification

Chest Pain Classification:

Typical Angina vs Atypical Angina vs Non-Anginal Chest Pain

 

Types of Chest Pain: 

• Typical chest pain (angina) is defined by substernal pressure, provoked by exertion, and relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. 

• Atypical angina meets two of these criteria, while non-anginal (non-cardiac) pain meets only one or none. 

• Modern guidelines now often prefer classifying pain as cardiac vs. non-cardiac.

Typical Angina Pectoris (3 of 3 Criteria)

1. Location/Quality: Substernal chest pain, pressure, tightness, or heaviness. (PTH) 

2. Provocation: Precipitated by physical exertion or emotional stress.

3. Relief: Relieved by rest or nitroglycerin within minutes. 

Atypical Angina Pectoris (2 of 3 Criteria)

1. Meets only two of the three criteria above.

2. Often presents as sharp, stabbing, or positional pain.

3. More common in women, older adults, and diabetics. 

Non-Anginal Chest Pain (1 of 3 Criteria)

1. Meets only one or none of the criteria.

2. Often reproducible by palpation (pressing on the chest), pleuritic (worse with breathing), or not related to exertion.

Chest Pain Quiz 

 A 45-year-old male reports a burning sensation in his chest that is not brought on by exertion but is sometimes relieved by resting. What is this type of pain? 

• a) Atypical Angina

• b) Typical Angina

• c) Non-Anginal Pain

Correct = a) Atypical Angina

 

The word angina literally translates to "strangling" or "choking".

The word pectoris simply means "of the chest" or "of the breast".