Prinzmetal Angina

Typical angina (chest pain) is often triggered by physical work or emotional stress. Prinzmetal angina usually happens when a person is resting, normally between midnight and early morning. These attacks can be very painful.

Prinzmetal angina is also called:

• Variant angina
• Vasospastic angina

See an illustration of angina.

Causes

The pain from Prinzmetal angina is caused by a spasm in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. These arteries can spasm due to: 

• Cold weather
• Stress
• Medications that narrow blood vessels
• Smoking
• Recreational drug use, such as cocaine

Symptoms

The chest pain or discomfort:

• Mostly happens while resting and during the night or early morning
• Is usually severe
• Can be relieved by taking medication

Your health care team can test for Prinzmetal angina with:

• Stress test
• Coronary angiography (PDF)
• Ambulatory electrocardiogram

Treatment

Medications can help control the pain. Calcium channel blockers and nitrates are the main medications used for treatment. Lifestyle changes can also help:

• Quitting smoking
• Avoiding recreational drugs

Prinzmetal angina is a long-term condition that your health care team must track, but the outlook is generally good.  

Track your angina symptoms with our Angina Log.