Angina is chest pain due to what primary cause?

• A. Chest pain due to insufficient oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle
• B. Infection of the chest wall
• C. Gastroesophageal reflux
• D. Pulmonary embolism

Answer: (A)

Angina arises when the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough oxygen because blood flow through the coronary arteries is reduced, causing myocardial ischemia. This mismatch between oxygen demand and supply produces chest pain that often occurs with exertion or stress and is relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. It’s different from chest wall infection (which would present with localized tenderness and inflammatory signs), gastroesophageal reflux (pain often related to meals and position), or pulmonary embolism (acute, pleuritic chest pain with shortness of breath). So the primary cause is insufficient oxygen-rich blood reaching the heart muscle due to reduced coronary blood flow.