angina-

1. An old term for a sore throat: Dr. Smart told Jane that she was suffering from an angina which was causing her problems with drinking or eating, and he gave her some medicine to relieve and to cure this condition.
2. Any spasmodic, choking, or suffocating pain: Susan found out that an angina can refer to to a sever infection in a person's throat.
3. Any of various diseases or conditions characterized by painful or cramping spasms: Dr. Thompson wanted to examine Mr. Smith carefully because of his suffering so much, and so he had to spend a few days in hospital so that the doctor could find out the cause of his angina.
4. Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The chest pain of angina is typically severe and crushing. There is a feeling just behind the breastbone (the sternum) of pressure and suffocation.

Angina was first described in 1772 by the English physician William Heberden in twenty patients who suffered from "a painful and most disagreeable sensation in the breast, which seems as if it would extinguish life, if it were to increase or to continue." Such patients, he wrote, "are seized while they are walking (more especially if it be uphill, and soon after eating); but the moment they stand still, all this uneasiness vanishes."
5. Etymology: from the Latin verb angere meaning "to choke or throttle". Angina is now considered to be the same as angina pectoris, a reference to the Latin pectus, "chest". Latin angina "infection of the throat", from Greek ankhone "a strangling".

Sever pain around the heart caused by a relative deficiency of oxygen supply to the heart muscle: Angina pectoris occurs most often after increased activity, exercise, or a stressful event.

Angina pectoris causes pain or numbness which typically radiates to the left shoulder and down the left arm and may also radiate to the back or jaw.

Pertaining to something resembling angina: The elderly Mr. Simmons was rushed to the hospital where he was examined regarding a possible angina pectoris, but it turned out to be an anginiform disorder and could be treated.

Concerning something similar to angina, especially angina pectoris: Like an anginiform ailment, an anginoid condition is painful and causes the patient much suffering in the area of the heart.

An abnormal or irrational dread of choking or of suffocation: Angina pectoris is not a sharp pain, but rather a sensation of pressure, squeezing, or tightness. It usually starts in the center of the chest under the breastbone (sternum) and radiates to the throat area.

The first time a person has uncomplicated angina pectoris, he or she may fear of having a fatal heart attack. An individual afflicted with anginophobia may become extremely anxious and even have a panic attack that will aggravate his chest pains.

Outdated, descriptive of a serious inflammation, such as severe sore throat: Anginose conditions can cause spasmodic attacks of suffocating pain in which the patient has extreme difficulty drinking anything.

Outdated, any type of angina: The nonspecific term anginosis can relate to a condition of nearly continuous angina pectoris even when at rest.

A reference to or characteristic of angina: Dr. Smart said that he had never seen such an anginous heart condition before and informed the patient that he would have to stay in hospital for many days for the upcoming treatments.

An infectious disease, especially of children, characterized by a sudden occurrence of fever, loss of appetite, and throat ulcerations, caused by a Coxsackie virus: Herpangina is also called mouth blisters and it is the name of a painful mouth infection caused by coxsackieviruses.

A medical-dictionary definition of herpangina state that it is an acute infectious disease caused by either group A or group B coxsackievirus, or by echoviruses, chiefly affecting young children in the summer.

Characteristics of herpangina include vesiculoulcerative lesions on the mucous membranes of the throat, dysphagia, vomiting, and fever.

A nervous disorder resembling angina: Pseudoangina consists of slight chest or breast pain, usually with pallor (unhealthy-looking paleness of complexion) followed by cyanosis and coldness or numbness of the extremities.

Cyanosis is the bluish discoloration, referring especially to such discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes resulting from an excessive concentration of reduced hemoglobin in the blood.

A sore throat due to staphylococcus: Valerie's throat hurt her a lot, so when Dr. Simmons examined her, he said that it was caused by bacteria which tended to occur in grapelike clusters and said that her illness was termed staphyloangina. Valerie had to take some medicine to cure it.