The classical type of chest pain in CAD is described as pressure-like/tightness or burning sensation over the left chest, behind the chest bone (sternum), that radiates to the left arm/neck to just below the jaw line. It may be associated with shortness of breath, diffuse sweating, and sometimes vomiting.

There are two types of angina: one that occurs after effort/exertion, we call it stable angina, and the other, being the more serious one, occurs at rest, without any triggers, and this type is known as unstable angina.

Risk factors for the development of CAD include: obesity, lipid disease, diabetes, tobacco smoking, and a positive family history of the disease.

Of course, angina may be mimcked by other causes of chest pain, such as inflammation of the joints where the ribs insert into the chest bone (costochondritis), inflammation of the outer layers of the heart (pericarditis), severe gastric acid reflux, and anxiety or panic attacks.

In young individuals with a strong family history of CAD, and by that we mean individuals who have many 1st degree family members (like parents, siblings, aunts/uncles) who have/have had the disease of early onset (age below 50 years), and who have additional risk factors for CAD, basic screening may be warranted as judged by the assessing physician. Testing the lipid levels, a basic fasting blood sugar, and maybe a stress test may be recommended.