Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease – Part 1

When patients are experiencing angina pain, and describing it, they often rub their chest or their left upper arm. It can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fainting or sweating. Prior to feeling the angina the patient may have been exercising, experiencing intense emotions, or have eaten a large meal.

Symptoms of coronary heart disease that are atypical can be located in the left chest, stomach, arm or back. This type of pain is not generally related to exercise and isn’t relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.

Another symptom of coronary heart disease is shortness of breath. This is usually a symptom of congestive heart failure but can also indicate a problem with other heart conditions. In congestive heart failure the heart is weak from a long-term lack of blood and oxygen or from a recent heart attack.

In some severe cases the first symptom of coronary heart disease is a heart attack. If the arteries that feed the heart are narrowed then a small blood clot or atherosclerotic plaque can completely block the artery and cause a heart attack.

This is why preventative screening for heart disease is so important to the health and wellness of both men and women. When the first symptom of coronary heart disease is pain from lack of oxygen to the heart muscle the condition has already advanced to a significant degree. Using preventative screenings and heart healthy lifestyles both men and women are able to prevent or delay the onset of coronary heart disease which may limit their daily activities.

Resources:

Cleveland Clinic: Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/cad/cadsymptoms.aspx

MayoClinic: Coronary Artery Disease

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coronary-artery-disease/DS00064/DSECTION=symptoms

MayoClinic: Heart Disease

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB00040

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What is Coronary Heart disease

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/

University of Southern California Cardiothoracic Surgery

http://www.cts.usc.edu/hpg-symptomsofcoronaryarterydisease.html