Angina dilemma: a review of assessment, management and lifestyle modification

Cardiac ischaemic pain (angina) is very common and accounts for up to 25% of emergency department admissions, although not all chest pain is angina. As a cardiac symptom, angina is most commonly associated with underlying coronary heart disease and requires thorough investigation. It is therefore of primary concern for people with angina to be excluded for coronary heart disease through clinical presentation, physical assessment, risk-factor stratification and electrocardiogram. This condition may cause significant burden to individuals' daily living activities when left undiagnosed and untreated. The focus of this brief review article is on the assessment, management and lifestyle-modification recommendations in patients with angina.