Medicine: Angina for the Unexcited

The nagging chest pains of angina pectoris are a common symptom of coronary artery disease and may serve as early warning of an impending heart attack. They usually mean that the heart muscle, because of exertion or excitement, is demanding more blood than the disease-narrowed coronary arteries can supply. But angina can also come to the most relaxed and unexcited person. Last week, in the A.M.A. Journal, Los Angeles' Dr. Myron Prinzmetal reported that he and five colleagues have identified 23 cases of a strange angina that holds off while its victims shovel...

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