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Signs and symptoms

Heart diseases may be acute or chronic. They may be transient, relatively stable, or progressive. They may cause a variety of signs and symptoms that frequently change and/or worsen over time. Chronic heart diseases can have episodes with acutely worsened symptoms; these may resolve (either on their own or with treatment), persist, or even become life-threatening. Patients with early heart disease may experience few or vague symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath with or without effort, dizziness, and/or nausea; however, these symptoms do not indicate the particular type of heart disease present. These symptoms may also be seen with a variety of other conditions. Other signs and complications that may arise from heart disease include:

• Arrhythmia – an irregular heartbeat
• Dilation – stretching of one or more of the heart chambers, causing their interiors to become larger because of increased pressure
• Embolism – blockage of a blood vessel by material that has traveled from a distant body site, most often a blood clot, but it can be due to fat or air or even amniotic fluid
• Inability to keep up with increased demands for oxygen and clearance of waste products, such as during physical activity
• Infarction – death of muscle cells due to blockage of blood flow
• Insufficient contraction – not emptying or filling completely
• Pain, frequently due to ischaemia – a lack of sufficient oxygen because of reduced blood flow
• Regurgitation – a backflow of blood causing increased pressure on the blood vessels of the lungs and liver or faulty heart valves
• Stenosis – a narrowing of the openings of the heart
• Tissue death – permanent loss of heart tissue due to lack of oxygen, leading to scarring
• Ventricular hypertrophy – increased thickness of the walls of the heart, causing a decrease in the size of the chambers and also a decrease in the flexibility of the heart.

Heart diseases may be due to:

• Alcohol use
• Anabolic steroid use
• Atherosclerosis
• Autoimmune conditions
• Bacterial infection
• Cocaine use
• Congenital abnormalities
• Diabetes
• Diet, especially when high in saturated fat and cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Injury or trauma
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Thyroid dysfunction (under and overactive)
• Toxins, such as mercury, and sometimes chemotherapy drugs or HIV/AIDS drugs
• Viral infection

On This Site

Tests: Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, lipid profile, CK, CK-MB, myoglobin, troponin, BNP, homocysteine, cardiac risk assessment, LDH, hs-CRP
Conditions: Heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, angina, cardiovascular disease

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