The decreased supply of blood is created by an obstruction within the coronary artery which impedes blood flow across it.
Atherosclerosis is the commonest cause of obstruction.
It may be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, weakness, dizziness or nausea, or numness in the shoulders, ams and hands. . When the build up of the plaque is gradual, the patient's symptoms are relatively predictable and stable. Such patient's usually have symptoms that are provoked by specific level of exercise. It is generally brief, lasts only 2-3 minutes and subsides promptly with cessation of exercise or following the use of a nitroglycerin tablet. This pattern of pain is known as stable angina .