Introduction: Angina, or chest pain, is the most frequent symptom of ischemic heart disease, one of the primary origins of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Unstable angina falls within a spectrum under the general term acute coronary syndrome, being the leading cause of death worldwide. Objective: to detail current information related to unstable angina, definition, etiology, epidemiology, anamnesis, physical examination, evaluation, treatment and prevention. Methodology: a total of 28 articles were analyzed in this review, including review and original articles, as well as clinical cases, of which 16 bibliographies were used because the other articles were not relevant to this study. The sources of information were PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane; the terms used to search for information in Spanish, Portuguese and English were: angina, precordial pain, cardiac management, unstable angina, cardiac emergencies, treatment. Results: Coronary artery disease is estimated to cause more than one third of deaths in individuals over 35 years of age. It is the leading cause of death in this age group. The incidence is more frequent in men; however, as individuals exceed 75 years of age, the incidence between men and women becomes more balanced. The average age of presentation is 62 years. The basis of treatment focuses on improving coronary artery perfusion. Conclusions: Unstable angina is characterized by an onset during rest, its diagnosis is clinical so it is of vital importance to know its clinical, epidemiological manifestations and its evaluation to reach a correct diagnosis, in order to guarantee a timely and adequate treatment. Since this condition continues to be a public health problem that affects a high percentage of the population on a daily basis, it is important to raise awareness of the problem and to try to prevent it by modifying lifestyle.