Signs of Heart Problems
First Indication an Acute Heart Event

Signs of Heart Problems and Senior Health

Sadly, in most cases the first indication of cardiovascular disease is an actual acute heart event. This is because many of the underlying symptoms are either mistakenly considered a consequence of some other condition or disease, or they are simply misdiagnosed.

On most occasions symptoms are not noticed by the patient until such time that they cause a major condition….often being put down to another unrelated condition, being ‘run down’, or being under ‘stress’.

Angina pectoris (chest pain) and stroke (cerebral infarction) are the most common physical symptoms that are first noticed.

If prior symptoms are realised, techniques and equipment can be used to confirm a diagnoses:

Electrocardiograms are tests particularly indicative for people with high risk factors (smoking, diabetes, obesity and hypertension). They can even show if a patient has already suffered a mild heart attack without noticing it.

Radioisotopes help to spot blood flow problems.

An Echocardiography is useful to evaluate the heart's performance.

Position emission tomography (PET scanning), CT scanning and magnetic resonance spectroscopy are also commonly used.

Surgery

Coronary arteriography is an invasive technique used to determine the extent and location of blockages in coronary arteries. It is only used prior to heart surgery such as angioplasty or bypass surgery.

As in all cases of potentially chronic illness, a thorough history - medical and genetic - should be taken, along with lifestyle, nutritional and dietary implications, and any other factors to help determine risk and current health statistics.

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