- shortness of breath
- dizziness
- chest pains
- changes in heart rate or rhythm
- high blood pressure
Heart diseases treated in Cardiology and by a cardiologist
A cardiologist can carry out tests for a heart murmur or an abnormal heart rhythm.
They often treat patients who have had a heart attack, heart failure, or other heart problems. They help make decisions about heart surgery, heart catheterization, and angioplasty and stenting. A cardiologist can help with the following heart diseases which include:
- atherosclerosis
- atrial fibrillation
- arrhythmias
- congenital heart disease
- coronary heart disease
- congestive heart disease
- high blood cholesterol and triglycerides
- hypertension
- pericarditis
- ventricular tachycardia
- high blood pressure, or hypertension
- A woman who has had pre-eclampsia – or high blood pressure, high levels of protein in urine that indicate kidney damage (proteinuria), or other signs of organ damage. This is as a result of complications during pregnancy.
They may also carry out or order cardiology tests such as Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Ambulatory ECG, an exercise test, or stress test, Echocardiogram, Cardiac catheterization, Nuclear cardiology for e.g. single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT), planar imaging, and myocardial perfusion imaging.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) : an ECG can often reveal evidence of a previous heart attack or one that's in progress.
- Stress test : this involves taking an ECG while you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike. This is known as an exercise stress test. Another stress test known as a nuclear stress test helps measure blood flow to your heart muscle at rest and during stress.
- Echocardiogram: this is an imaging test used by the cardiac specialist to determine whether all parts of the heart wall are contributing normally to your heart's pumping activity.
- Cardiac catheterisation or coronary angiogram : a long, thin, flexible tube (catheter) that is threaded through an artery, helps your cardiologist to discover the extent of blockages in your arteries. The treatment for this is called angioplasty in which either a balloon is used to inflate the narrowed artery or a stent is inserted to keep the artery open.
- Heart scan: Computerised tomography (CT) technologies can assist in observing calcium deposits in your arteries that may lead to a coronary artery disease.
- Chest pain that may feel like pressure, tightness, pain, squeezing or aching
- Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or sometimes the upper belly
- Cold sweat
- Fatigue
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Congestive Heart Failure- When the heart pumps blood at a lesser efficiency than normal, the function of kidneys gets affected, causing water retention in the body. This condition is called 'congestive heart failure'.
- Women may have atypical symptoms such as brief or sharp pain felt in the neck, arm or back. Sometimes, the first symptom sign of a heart attack is sudden cardiac arrest.
- Chest pain or pressure (angina) that keeps happening and doesn't go away with rest may be an early warning sign. Angina is caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the heart.
- An acute complete blockage of a medium or large heart artery usually means you've had an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
- A partial blockage often means you've had a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). However, some people with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) have a total blockage.
Not all heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries. Some of the other causes would include:
- Coronary artery spasm. This is a severe squeezing of a blood vessel that's not blocked. The artery generally has cholesterol plaques or there is early hardening of the vessel due to smoking or other risk factors. Other names for coronary artery spasms include Prinzmetal's angina, vasospastic angina or variant angina.
- Certain infections. COVID-19 and other viral infections may cause damage to the heart muscle.
- Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). This life-threatening condition is caused by a tear inside a heart artery.
- Heart attack risk factors include Age. (in general, Men age 45 and older and women age 55 and older) , Tobacco use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglycerides, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, family history of heart attacks, sedentary lifestyle or not enough exercise, unhealthy diet, stress, illegal drug use, history of preeclampsia. (high blood pressure during pregnancy), an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
- Complications of a heart attack that include Irregular or atypical heart rhythms (arrhythmias), Cardiogenic shock, heart failure (damage to the heart muscle tissue and that makes the heart unable to pump blood), inflammation of the saclike tissue surrounding the heart (pericarditis), Cardiac arrest.
If you have experience or feel that you have encountered any of the following signs and symptoms, then go ahead and reach out to patient experts, who will arrange and book you with an experienced cardiologist that support you with immediate attention, chosen from amongst the best cardiologists and heart specialists in Dubai and UAE.
