Many Symptoms of Heart Attack and Heart Disease: A Complex Condition

Heart disease is a very broad term. I think most people who think of heart disease
think ofheart attacks or coronary artery disease,
and that certainly is the most common formof heart disease. But it’s certainly much broader than that. It includes things such as diseases at the
heart muscle, or heart failure where the heartdoesn’t either contract or relax normally. It includes valve diseases, diseases of the
electrical system of the heart, and even diseasesof the lining of the heart. I think most people associate chest pain or
chest pressure or chest discomfort as a signof heart disease, and that certainly is the
most common symptom thatwe see in patients who present with coronary
artery disease or heart disease. But it’s broader than that. We know that many other symptoms can be a
sign of heart disease. These include breathlessness, shortness of
breath, the inability to do exercises thatsomeone could once do quite easily, fatigue
even, patients who come in with rapid heartbeats,swelling in the ankles, really just a change
in their ability to do their routine activities. Heart disease is really a
complex condition that can be caused by manyfactors. Of course, coronary artery disease, which
is a buildup of plaque in the heart arteries. It can be caused by high cholesterol, high
blood pressure, being overweight, smoking,not being active, as well as genetics can
play a role. We know that treating those conditions really
not only helps patients with established heartdisease, but helps prevent coronary artery
disease from ever forming in the first place. When patients come in with new symptoms that
are concerning for heart disease, not onlycan they see us in various locations, but
importantly, we have the ability to providethe advanced diagnostic testing that they
may need. We have all forms of stress testing, all forms
of imaging. We have all of the specialists that someone
would ever need to evaluate them and carefor them when they come to see us.