Who Is At Risk for Angina?

Angina is a symptom of an underlying heart condition, usually coronary artery disease (CAD). So if you're at risk for CAD, you're also at risk for angina.

Risk factors for CAD include:

• Unhealthy cholesterol levels.
• High blood pressure.
• Cigarette smoking.
• Insulin resistance or diabetes.
• Overweight or obesity.
• Metabolic syndrome.
• Lack of physical activity.
• Age. (The risk increases for men after 45 years of age and for women after 55 years of age.)
• Family history of early heart disease.

You can read more about CAD risk factors in "Who Is At Risk for Coronary Artery Disease?"

Populations Affected

People sometimes think that because men have more heart attacks than women, men also suffer from angina more often. In fact, angina occurs equally among women and men. It can be a sign of heart disease, even when initial tests don't show evidence of CAD.

Unstable angina occurs more often in older adults.

Variant angina is rare. It accounts for only about 2 out of 100 cases of angina. People who have variant angina are often younger than those who have other forms of angina.