Introduction
Heart dease comes in several kinds and presents a variety of signs and symptoms. Any type of symptom should be taken serious because the condition is a life-threatening matter. As with many medical emergencies, time is crucial so it's important to identify the problem early so that proper intervention can be given. Some individuals who never had the signs before must immediately consult their doctor to avoid further complications.
History
Features
1. Coronary heart disease. It is described as the narrowing of the tiny blood vessels that distribute blood and oxygen to the heart, mainly because of fat deposits. The most common sign is chest pain or angina pectoris. The type of pain in the chest can be defined as burning, heavy, forceful, squeezing, aching and full, almost similar to heartburn or indigestion. The pain can also spread to the shoulders, neck, nape, back, throat, jaw and arms. Coronary heart disease can also be diagnosed if the person has very fast heart beat, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, weakness, palpitations and profuse sweating.
2. Arrhythmia. The heart dease type means irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia which can be confirmed using ECG tests. Individuals will feel tired or body malaise, pain or discomfort in the chest, dizzy, light-headed, palpitations in the heart described as racing or pounding, shortness of breath, lack of energy when doing daily activities and as if they're going to faint. Sometimes the signs disappear even if the person does strenuous activities and then returns without any warning.
3. Heart valve disease. The valves of the heart might be damaged or incompetent in this heart dease. People with the condition will have chest pain or discomfort especially when doing physical activities or exposed to cold environments. They will also have shortness of breath even when just lying in bed. They can also experience palpitations in the chest described as irregular, fast and pounding. In some cases, the disease can progress to heart failure, making the person's abdomen, feet and ankles swell. The person will bloat and have unusual weight gain in just a single day.
4. Congenital heart defects. It develops mostly among infants before delivery and can be associated with exposure to different substances, although genetics is the more common culprit. The problem can be detected before the baby is born. During neonatal tests, the physician might discover abnormal results on the chest X-ray or EKG and heart murmurs. Among adults, the signs include fatigue and shortness of breath during physical activities and all the symptoms of heart failure. Children with the heart dease cannot perform physical tasks, appear blue especially in the extremities, develop infections particularly in the lungs and fail to gain weight. Prognosis is usually poor among infants.
5. Heart failure. It can mean that the person's heart is already damaged and has dease. Sufferers will experience body weakness, irregular or fast heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness, fast and unusual weight gain in just one day, chest pain, swelling of the abdomen, ankles and legs, nausea, palpitations, shortness of breath and cough that produces white mucus.
