Overlapping Symptoms of Heart Disease

Answer 1

Diseases of the heart can manifest in different ways. Many heart problems share the same initial warning signs, but although some symptoms can overlap, other symptoms are unique to different illnesses. Knowing the warning signs of each different heart disease can help individuals to detect one when the onset takes hold, giving them enough time to seek medical attention before they suffer any major internal damage. Heart disease is no laughing matter. Staying heart-healthy is a great way toward locking in security for the future, so understanding the different kinds of symptoms for different kinds of heart disease can take that security one step further.

Chest pain is the most common symptom associated with any kind of heart disease including coronary artery disease. Patients suffering from coronary artery disease often describe the pain as similar to heartburn and indigestion. Optimistically, these chest pains can help individuals to predict the worsening of their heart problems, but many heart patients cannot tell the difference between typical heartburn and chest pains caused by coronary artery disease. As a result, many instances of the disease go undiagnosed until the symptoms progress to severe heaviness in the chest that does not abate. Some pains caused by heart problems might also manifest in the arms, neck, or jaw.

Patients suffering from coronary artery disease may also experience irregular heart beats that speed up, slow down, or skip without warning. Occasionally, these palpitations are caused by arrhythmias. In the case of arrhythmia, a patient will experience palpitations when a portion of the heart's electrical system is not working cooperatively with the rest of the body. Doctors who diagnose palpitations as related to arrhythmias will most likely assume that their patients are at risk for heart attacks or have other heart-related diseases that could lead to organ failure.

Patients who experience heart attacks often experience symptoms that overlap with coronary artery disease and heart failure. Pains in the upper body are common complaints. Some patients describe feelings similar to heartburn and indigestion, whereas others describe choking on air. As with the symptoms of coronary artery disease, the symptoms of heart attacks may go undiagnosed in some patients,. Most often, patients who experience no heart attack symptoms are diabetics. The symptoms vary greatly, but chest pain, nausea, dizziness, and irregular heart beats are the most common symptoms of severe heart problems. Patients experiencing similar symptoms should not hesitate to seek emergency medical assistance.