What Are the Different Coronary Artery Disease Symptoms?

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is an exceptionally dangerous illness that can ultimately result in heart attack or myocardial infarction. Often, the beginnings of this condition occur many years before symptoms like heart attack develop and in early stages, CAD is typically asymptomatic. As the blood vessels that supply the heart become more impaired, symptoms can start to develop and these could take many different forms, depending on the person. Moreover, recent studies in this area suggest there can be significant difference between the way coronary artery disease symptoms manifest in women and men, even if they have the same basic illnesses from constricted blood vessels.

The Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure

The Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart has trouble pumping sufficient blood to the rest of the body. It can be difficult to diagnose early because most of the symptoms of congestive heart failure, aside from an irregular heartbeat, appear to have little to do with the heart. Instead, this condition tends to affect the entire body in various ways, including fatigue and shortness of breath. In addition, fluids usually accumulate in the body, leading to swelling and weight gain despite nausea and loss of appetite. Many patients attribute the typical symptoms of congestive heart failure to other conditions, so CHF is often not noticed until a doctor runs diagnostic tests during a medical exam.

The Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is the most common form of heart disease and a leading cause of death in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. It is characterized by inadequate circulation in the blood vessels of the heart muscle, or myocardium. Coronary heart disease may be asymptomatic, but there are many possible complications and symptoms of coronary heart disease.

Symptoms of coronary heart disease include pain or heaviness in the chest, fatigue, shortness of breath, and myocardial infarction or heart attack. Chest pain often takes the form of angina pectoris, severe pain caused by lack of oxygen, or ischemia, in the heart muscles and surrounding tissues, caused by insufficient blood circulation. In addition to pain, angina can also manifest as a feeling of tightness, heaviness, pressure, or burning.