Angina is the medical term used to describe pain, pressure, heaviness or numbness that occurs behind the breastbone or across the chest. It is caused when there is not enough oxygen reaching the heart muscle. With angina, you may also feel pain in your upper back, neck, jaws, shoulders or arms. This sort of pain is often felt while you are exercising or doing other physical activity. It is also often experienced immediately after you've stopped exercising, while cooling down from the physical activity. With continued rest, pain usually goes away.
A heart attack, on the other hand, occurs when the lack of blood supply to the heart is so severe that the heart doesn't get the oxygen that it vitally needs. If the blood flow and oxygen are reduced long enough, the heart muscle itself can become damaged.
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