Common Symptoms of Heart Disease

It's important to recognize the common symptoms of heart disease so you'll know if you need treatment-before it's too late. Heart disease can be a confusing term. It covers a range of heart-related conditions, ranging from mild to life threatening. However, all of these variations of heart disease have one thing in common: they threaten the overall health of your heart, which is essential for life. Many of these different types of heart disease have the same symptoms. However, what kind of treatment you will need and how much damage has been done to your heart is determined by what kind of condition you have.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below and suspect you may have heart disease, it's important that you get to a doctor as soon as possible to be examined. Some of these symptoms may be confusing, since they may overlap with symptoms of the common flu or general malaise. The more of these symptoms you have, the more likely it is that you have some form of heart disease. When it comes to your heart, it's best to be cautious and not take any chances.

Sign and symptoms of heart disease

• Labored breathing. If you are short of breath, find breathing difficult, or feel as if someone is sitting on your chest, you should be concerned about possible heart disease.
• Productive cough. Be wary of a cough that results in white mucus.
• Rapid, unexplained weight gain. Sometimes heart disease patients will gain an extraordinary amount of weight in one day-up to three pounds even-as a result of heart issues.
• Feeling faint. If you feel faint or dizzy or unable to do normal activities, watch for accompanying signs of heart disease.
• Unexplained exhaustion. Heart disease patients may feel sudden fatigue or inexplicable weakness.
• Unusual heartbeat. If you are experiencing any one of the following symptoms, you should get your heart checked as soon as possible: rapid heartbeat, palpitations where you can feel your heart beating, irregular heart beat patterns such as your heart skipping a beat or beating in an unusual pattern, or painful beating of your heart.
• Feeling nauseated. Heart disease patients often report nausea and vomiting as part of their episode.
• Chest pain. This can come in a variety of ways. Some heart disease patients experience sharp, crushing pain; others feel as if someone is sitting on their chest, still others feel paint hat radiates either to an arm or back to the throat, neck or jaw.
• Swelling. If your ankles, feet and calves are swelling, this can be of concern regarding your circulation, which can trace back to your heart.
• Difficulty exercising. If exercise or activity increases any of the symptoms listed above, you should check with your doctor to make sure you do not have heart disease.