Symptoms and Types
of Heart Disease

SYMPTOMS | TYPES OF HEART DISEASE

Symptoms of a Heart Attack 

If at anytime you experience the following signs or symptoms, go to an emergency room immediately and contact your physician.

• Chest pain (angina pectoris)
• Shortness of breath
• General fatigue
• Swelling (edema)
• Loss of consciousness (syncope)
• Light-headedness (presyncope)
• Palpitations
• Limb pain or tiredness (claudication)
• Abnormal skin color
• Sores on skin (uleration)
• Shock (collapse)
• Sudden change in vision, strength, coordination, speech or sensation

Chest pain, or angina occurs when blockages in the coronary arteries prevent the heart from getting enough blood and oxygen, a condition known as ischemia. The pain may be dull and heavy, but it may also be choking or squeezing and spread to the throat, neck, jaw, teeth and to the left arm. Sweating, nausea, dizziness or breathing difficulties may result.

Angina and heart attack have the same root cause: atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the narrowing of the coronary arteries. This is caused by deposits of fatty substances (cholesterol). The key differences between angina and a heart attack are crucial to your health. Angina can be divided into two types: stable angina, and unstable angina. Stable angina describes the chest pain which is caused by a fixed blockage of blood flow in one or more of the coronary arteries. The pain casued by this blockage is predictable, occuring during physical exertion.

Unstable angina describes a chest pain of increasing severity which is unpredictable, and occurs at rest. It may imply that the underlying situation is worsening and often signals a developing heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the flow of the blood in a coronary artery completely stops some of the heart due to blockage. Angina usually does not damage the heart muscle, a heart attack will cause permanent damage.

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