Which statement best describes stable angina?

• A. Chest pain that occurs with rest and is relieved by nitroglycerin
• B. Chest pain that lasts longer than 20 minutes and is not relieved by rest or nitro
• C. Chest pain caused by a tear in the aorta
• D. Chest pain due to physical exertion that usually improves with rest or nitro

Answer: (D)

Stable angina occurs when the heart’s oxygen demand spikes during physical exertion or stress, and the blood flow through a narrowed coronary artery can’t keep up, causing predictable chest discomfort that is relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.

The statement describing chest pain triggered by physical exertion and typically improved with rest or nitro matches this pattern, reflecting ischemia from a fixed coronary narrowing that responds to decreased demand or direct vasodilation. Rest pain or relief only with nitro at rest would suggest other forms of ischemia such as vasospastic or unstable angina, and pain lasting many minutes without relief points to acute coronary syndromes. A tearing chest pain is characteristic of aortic dissection, not angina.