Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart Disease

By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., About.com Guide to Heart Disease

Heart disease can affect the the heart valves, the heart's electrical system, heart muscle itself, the coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. The following links lead to articles that address the symptoms of various forms of heart disease, and how doctors can tell that heart disease is present.

1. Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Attacks
2. Heart Failure
3. Heart Rhythm Problems
4. Other Heart Diseases

Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Attacks

Coronary artery disease - the disease of the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle - is the most common, and most commonly deadly, form of heart disease. Here are several articles that describe coronary artery disease, the medical conditions it can produce, and how it is diagnosed.

• An overview of coronary artery disease
• Coronary artery disease risk factors
• The causes of chest pain
• Unstable angina
• Sudden death after heart attacks
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• Cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography

• The cardiac stress test
• Noninvasive testing for coronary artery disease
• Thallium and Cardiolyte scans
• EBT (ultrafast CT) scans
• Calcium Scores
• Multislice CT scans
• Cardiac syndrome X

Heart Failure

The following links lead to information on symptoms and diagnosis of heart failure.

• How the heart works (heart chambers and valves)
• Heart muscle disease - cardiomyopathy, part 1
• Heart muscle disease - cardiomyopathy, part 2
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Diastolic dysfunction
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

• Cardiac catheterization and angiography
• Echocardiography
• Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
• MUGA scans
• Cardiac MRI

Heart Rhythm Problems

It's with you your entire life, yet you probably don't notice it much: your heartbeat. When normal, the heartbeat is nice and regular, and has just the right rate. But when things aren't quite right -- when the heartbeat is too fast or too slow, or just too irregular -- it's known as a cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problem), which is among the most common of the heart disorders. [p]Most people, in fact, have occasional cardiac arrhythmias. The significance of cardiac arrhythmias can vary tremendously. Many arrhythmias are completely benign, while others are extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

• The cardiac electrical system
• Premature atrial complexes (PACs)
• Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs)
• Bradycadias (slow heart rhythms)
• Tachycardias (fast heart rhythms)
• Inappropriate sinus tachycardia
• Atrial fibrillation
• Long QT syndrome

• Bundle branch block (BBB)
• Palpitations
• Dizziness
• Syncope (loss of consciousness)
• Cardiac arrest
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• Holter monitor and event monitor studies
• Electrophysiology study

Other Heart Diseases

The following articles describe various heart disorders, such as heart valve disease, pericardial disease, and the dysautonomias.

• Aortic stenosis
• Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
• Dysautonomias
• Pericarditis