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Risk Factors and Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore – Your heart is one hard-working muscle, beating more than 100,000 times a day. It’s important to take preventive care of this crucial organ. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide.

You experience chest pain. Chest pain is one of the hallmark signs of a heart problem. While there are other causes of chest pain that are not related to the heart, chest pressure that occurs or worsens with activity is particularly concerning, as it can be a sign that the heart may not be getting enough blood. A cardiologist can help determine the cause and the appropriate treatment plan. Chest pain can also be a sign of a heart attack, which is a life-threatening emergency. Know the signs and call 911 if you think you are having a heart attack. Remember that signs can be different for men and women. You have high blood pressure, Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. Chronically elevated blood pressure causes the heart to work harder to circulate blood, and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. You have shortness of breath, palpitations or dizziness. A cardiologist can determine if a heart condition is the cause. These symptoms may be a sign of abnormal heart rhythm or coronary artery disease. You have diabetes. There is a strong correlation between cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Poorly controlled blood sugar affects how your blood vessels function and greatly increases your risk for developing coronary artery disease. A cardiologist can work with your primary care physician and help determine what treatment or prevention strategies can lower your risk. You have a history of smoking. Smoking is one of the major preventable risk factors for heart disease and can contribute to high blood pressure and cancer risk. Get tips on quitting, You have a history of high cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in a number of foods, and is also made by your liver. High cholesterol can contribute to plaque in the arteries. One of the ways you can lower your cholesterol is by eating a healthy diet. Your physician may prescribe medications to treat cholesterol that also help to lower your risk of heart attack. Talk to your cardiologist about heart-healthy foods and monitoring your cholesterol to reduce chances of heart disease. You have chronic kidney disease. If your kidneys don’t function properly, your risk for heart disease increases, Kidney disease is tied to high blood pressure and arterial disease. A cardiologist can discuss how your condition affects your heart and help you reduce your risk for heart disease. You have a family history of heart disease. Certain types of heart disease can be genetic. If a relative has had early-onset heart disease (under age 55 in men and 65 in women), then a cardiologist can help determine how this affects your risk, and may order testing or recommend preventive strategies. You have peripheral arterial disease. Arteries are the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. If you have known disease in other arteries, such as the leg arteries or the large blood vessels to the brain (carotid arteries), you are more likely to also have coronary artery disease. A cardiologist can discuss whether other testing is warranted as well as treatment options. You’re inactive and planning to start an exercise routine. Exercise has a number of health benefits, and plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. However, certain heart conditions can make exercise unsafe. If you’re considering a new workout regime after being inactive, or have a number of the risk factors for heart disease as listed above, you should consult your physician first. One marathon runner credits this step with saving his life.

If you have any of these symptoms or risk factors, it could be time to see a cardiologist. Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute offers comprehensive cardiovascular clinical programs in Chicago and the suburbs.

Can chest pain not be serious?

Symptoms that mean it’s not a heart attack – Sometimes, chest pain doesn’t signal a heart attack. A study of emergency room visits found that less than 6% of people arriving with chest pain had a life-threatening heart issue. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no cause for alarm, but there are ways to exclude a heart attack if you’re not at high risk for having one.

1. Your pain or discomfort is momentary.
2. Your pain is isolated to one small area.
3. Your pain gets worse or better when you reposition your body.

If you have sudden, sharp, momentary chest discomfort that lasts fewer than a couple minutes, it could result from:

• An injury such as broken or bruised ribs,
• A pulled muscle in your chest wall.
• Inflammation in your rib cartilage.
• Fibromyalgia,
• Shingles,

If you have a piercing pain in your chest that gets worse when you move around or take deep breaths, it’s not likely a heart attack, but it could be a lung-related issue caused by a number of conditions, including:

• Pneumonia or some other infection.
• Inflammation in the lining of your lungs ( pleurisy ).
• A blood clot in your lungs.
• An asthma attack.

And while these lung issues aren’t heart attacks, they’re concerning enough to warrant a call to a healthcare provider or a visit to an emergency room if symptoms don’t go away on their own or grow worse.

What blood test is done for chest pain?

Troponin – If you have chest pain, a blood test will often be taken to check your level of troponin, a protein which the heart releases into your bloodstream when the heart muscle is being damaged. It can help to diagnose a heart attack, but a low level doesn’t prove you haven’t had a heart attack.

Is my heart OK if ECG is normal?

ECG; EKG An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. If your heart has been beating too fast, or you’ve been having chest pain, both you and your doctor will want to find out what’s causing the problem so you can get it treated. One way to diagnose heart problems is with a test of the heart’s electrical activity, called an electrocardiogram or ECG, or EKG for short.

1. Your heart is controlled by an electrical system, much like the electricity that powers the lights and appliances in your home.
2. Electrical signals make your heart contract so that it can pump blood out to your body.
3. Heart disease, abnormal heart rhythms, and other heart problems can affect those signals.

Using an ECG, your doctor can identify problems in your heart’s electrical system and diagnose heart disease. So, how is an ECG done? First you’ll lie down on a table. You’ll have to lie very still while the test is done. Small patches, called electrodes, will be attached to several places on your arms, legs, and chest.

• The patches won’t hurt, but some of the hair in those areas may be shaved so the patches will stick to your skin.
• The patches are then attached to a machine.
• You’ll notice that when the machine is turned on, it produces wavy lines on a piece of paper.
• Those lines represent the electrical signals coming from your heart.

If the test is normal, it should show that your heart is beating at an even rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Many different heart conditions can show up on an ECG, including a fast, slow, or abnormal heart rhythm, a heart defect, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or an enlarged heart.

• An abnormal ECG may also be a sign that you’ve had a heart attack in the past, or that you’re at risk for one in the near future.
• If you’re healthy and you don’t have any family or personal history of heart disease, you don’t need to have an ECG on a regular basis.
• But if you are having heart problems, your doctor may recommend getting this test.

An ECG is pretty accurate at diagnosing many types of heart disease, although it doesn’t always pick up every heart problem. You may have a perfectly normal ECG, yet still have a heart condition. If your test is normal but your doctor suspects that you have a heart problem, he may recommend that you have another ECG, or a different type of test to find out for sure. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is used extensively in the diagnosis of heart disease, from congenital heart disease in infants to myocardial infarction and myocarditis in adults. Several different types of electrocardiogram exist. This picture shows an ECG (electrocardiogram, EKG) of a person with an abnormal rhythm (arrhythmia) called an atrioventricular (AV) block. P waves show that the top of the heart received electrical activity. Each P wave is usually followed by the tall (QRS) waves. Routine lab tests are recommended before beginning treatment of high blood pressure to determine organ or tissue damage or other risk factors. These lab tests include urinalysis, blood cell count, blood chemistry (potassium, sodium, creatinine, fasting glucose, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol), and an ECG (electrocardiogram). Additional tests may be recommended based on your condition. An electrocardiogram is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. This includes the rate and regularity of beats as well as the size and position of the chambers, any damage to the heart, and effects of drugs or devices to regulate the heart. An ECG is very useful in determining whether a person has heart disease. During an ECG electrodes are affixed to each arm and leg and to the chest. Action potentials generated by heart cells produce weak electrical currents that spread throughout the body. These currents can be detected at the surface of the body and amplified using an instrument known as an electrocardiograph. The graphic recording produced by an electrocardiograph of the heart electric activity is called an electrocardiogram, or ECG.

1. If your heart has been beating too fast, or you’ve been having chest pain, both you and your doctor will want to find out what’s causing the problem so you can get it treated.
2. One way to diagnose heart problems is with a test of the heart’s electrical activity, called an electrocardiogram or ECG, or EKG for short.

Your heart is controlled by an electrical system, much like the electricity that powers the lights and appliances in your home. Electrical signals make your heart contract so that it can pump blood out to your body. Heart disease, abnormal heart rhythms, and other heart problems can affect those signals.

• Using an ECG, your doctor can identify problems in your heart’s electrical system and diagnose heart disease.
• So, how is an ECG done? First you’ll lie down on a table.
• You’ll have to lie very still while the test is done.
• Small patches, called electrodes, will be attached to several places on your arms, legs, and chest.

The patches won’t hurt, but some of the hair in those areas may be shaved so the patches will stick to your skin. The patches are then attached to a machine. You’ll notice that when the machine is turned on, it produces wavy lines on a piece of paper. Those lines represent the electrical signals coming from your heart.

1. If the test is normal, it should show that your heart is beating at an even rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute.
2. Many different heart conditions can show up on an ECG, including a fast, slow, or abnormal heart rhythm, a heart defect, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or an enlarged heart.
3. An abnormal ECG may also be a sign that you’ve had a heart attack in the past, or that you’re at risk for one in the near future.

If you’re healthy and you don’t have any family or personal history of heart disease, you don’t need to have an ECG on a regular basis. But if you are having heart problems, your doctor may recommend getting this test. An ECG is pretty accurate at diagnosing many types of heart disease, although it doesn’t always pick up every heart problem.

What should I do first for chest pain?

Preparing for your appointment – If you’re having severe chest pain or new or unexplained chest pain or pressure that lasts more than a few moments, call 911 or emergency medical services. Don’t waste any time for fear of embarrassment if it’s not a heart attack. Even if there’s another cause for your chest pain, you need to be seen right away.

Chukwudi Eze