The goals of treatment are to reduce the frequency and severity of your symptoms and to lower your risk of a heart attack and death. However, if you have unstable angina or angina pain that's different from what you usually have, such as occurring when you're at rest, you need immediate treatment in a hospital.

How serious is angina?

Angina is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles. It's not usually life threatening, but it's a warning sign that you could be at risk of a heart attack or stroke. With treatment and healthy lifestyle changes, it's possible to control angina and reduce the risk of these more serious problems.

Can angina be left untreated?

Angina doesn't cause any lasting harm to the heart muscle. The danger of leaving the condition untreated, however, is the increased risk of heart attack. If your symptoms don't go away within 10 minutes of rest and using your nitrate medicine, you may be having a heart attack.