Angina (Chest Pain)

Angina risk factors

Anyone can experience angina. But, your risk for this common heart problem increases with the following:

• Age: The older you get, the higher your risk for most types of angina. However, vasospastic angina often affects younger people.
• Other medical conditions: Chest pain can be caused by anemia (low red blood cells), chronic kidney disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiomyopathy  (conditions that affect the heart muscle).
• Family history: Your risk for angina increases if your parents, siblings or other close relatives have experienced angina or other heart conditions.
• Ethnicity: African Americans are more likely to experience angina, especially if they’ve already had a heart attack.
• Particle pollution: Dust particles from farms, construction sites and mines can cause chest pain.
• Sex: Until age 55, men are more likely than women to have heart disease and angina. After that age, women and men are equally at risk.
• Tobacco exposure: Smoking cigarettes and secondhand smoke exposure can lead to chest pain.
• Unhealthy lifestyle: Misusing alcohol or illegal drugs, not managing stress, eating an unhealthy diet, and not getting enough physical activity can increase your risk of angina.
• Work environment: Occupations that expose you to radiation or loud noises, are extremely stressful, or make it difficult to get good sleep, increase your chance of developing angina.