Symptoms of heart disease

Heart attack symptoms are pain or discomfort in chest, arms, back, jaw, neck, or stomach, shortening of breath and sweating.

One main symptom of heart disease is angina, which occurs when a blood vessel to the heart is narrowed and the blood supply is reduced. Angina may produce pain or discomfort in your chest, shoulders, arms, jaw, or back, especially when you exercise. The pain may disappear when have rest or take angina medicine. Angina does not produce any permanent damage to the heart muscle, but if you have angina, your risk factor to a heart attack increases.

A heart attack occurs when a blood vessel to the heart has blocked. Due to blockage, enough blood cannot reach the heart muscle and permanent damage occurs. During a heart attack, you may have these symptoms

You may have all of this symptoms and it may go away. Chest pain that doesn’t go away after resting for a few minutes may signal a heart attack. 

However, in some people, particularly diabetes, the symptoms may be mild or even absent due to a condition in which the heart rate stays at the same level during exercise, inactivity, stress, or sleep. Also, nerve damage caused by diabetes may produce lack of pain during a heart attack.

Women may not have chest pain but may be more likely to have shorting of breath, breath difficulty, nausea, or back and jaw pain. If you have symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Treatment is most effective if given within an hour of a heart attack. Early treatment can help prevent permanent damage to the heart.

You should check your risk for heart disease and stroke at least once a year by checking cholesterol and blood pressure levels. If you are a smoker and or having a family history of premature heart disease you must increase checking frequency. Periodical check your urine for protein, another risk factor for heart disease. If you are at high risk you may need to undergo further testing.