Q.While playing cricket Raju faces problem of severe pain and heaviness in the chest. Pain spreads from neck, lower jaw, left arm and to left shoulder. From above symptoms identify disease

Angina Pectoris

The heart is a muscle, and like any muscle it needs its own oxygen-rich blood supply — delivered by the coronary arteries. Angina pectoris is the chest pain that results when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygenated blood for its needs. It is essentially a warning sign that the heart is being starved.

Why the pain happens

When the coronary arteries are narrowed — usually by fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) — blood flow to part of the heart muscle is reduced. As long as the person is resting, the limited flow may be just enough. But during exertion, stress or excitement, the heart works harder and demands more oxygen. If the narrowed arteries cannot deliver it, the heart muscle becomes ischaemic (oxygen-deprived), and this triggers pain. The pain typically eases with rest, when demand falls again.

The characteristic symptoms

The hallmark is a chest pain or tightness, often described as a squeezing or heaviness in the centre of the chest, that classically radiates to the neck, jaw and the left arm. It is usually brought on by physical effort or emotional stress and relieved by rest.

Angina versus heart attack — the key distinction

This distinction is important and commonly tested: