Atherosclerosis Symptoms

Symptoms of Atherosclerosis:

Often, you will experience no symptoms of atherosclerosis until the disease has progressed significantly. However, there are some conditions that may suggest atherosclerosis is present, although these conditions may also happen for other reasons.

Angina. If clogged arteries prevent enough oxygen-carrying blood from reaching your heart, the heart may respond with pain called angina pectoris. Episodes of angina occur when the heart's need for oxygen increases beyond the oxygen available from the blood nourishing the heart. Silent angina occurs when the same inadequate blood supply causes no symptoms.

Physical exertion is the most common trigger for angina. Other triggers can be emotional stress, extreme cold or heat, heavy meals, alcohol and cigarette smoking. The pain is a pressing or squeezing pain, usually felt in the chest or sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaws or back.

Angina suggests that coronary heart disease exists. People with angina have an increased risk of heart attack compared with those who have no symptoms. When the pattern of angina changes—if episodes become more frequent, last longer or occur without exercise—your risk of heart attack in subsequent days or weeks is much higher and you should see your health care professional immediately.

If you have angina, learn its pattern—what causes an angina attack, what it feels like, how long episodes usually last and whether medication relieves the attack. Angina is usually relieved in a few minutes by resting or taking prescribed angina medicine, such as nitroglycerin.

Episodes of angina seldom cause permanent damage to heart muscle.

Heart attack pain may be similar to angina, but the symptoms of angina quickly disappear with rest. Heart attack pain, however, usually persists despite resting or taking nitroglycerin and should be evaluated immediately. Like angina, heart attack pain can be a pressure or tightness in chest, arms, back or neck. Often symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, vomiting, indigestion or dizziness. Women, especially those with diabetes, may not have the typical symptoms of chest pain like men, but other symptoms such as shortness of breath or indigestion. A heart attack is an emergency. A delay in treatment could mean more of the heart muscle tissue is permanently damaged. If you think you're having a heart attack, take an aspirin (which reduces blood clotting) and get medical help immediately.

• Cardiac arrhythmias. These occur when the heart momentarily beats too fast or beats irregularly. Chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath are symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias. Atherosclerosis is one cause of rapid or irregular heartbeat; however, it can also be caused by angina, valvular heart disease, blood clots, thyroid abnormalities, electrolyte imbalance or previous heart damage. Arrhythmias may be frequent or infrequent.
• Silent ischemia. Sometimes atherosclerosis causes no symptoms. Silent ischemia is a condition caused by atherosclerosis, but isn't associated with the chest pain or other symptoms common to other types of heart conditions. This condition occurs when arteries with atherosclerosis can't deliver enough blood to the heart. An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), a measurement of electrical impulses produced by the heart, may indicate silent ischemia. However, unless you know your risks for heart disease and decide, with the advice of your health care professional, that you need a heart checkup, you may never know you have ischemia. People with diabetes are especially at risk for this condition.
• Intermittent claudication. This leg disorder predominantly affects elderly people. It causes severe pain, aching or cramping in the legs when you walk due to atherosclerosis in the major arteries that supply blood to the legs (femoral and iliac). Severe cases of peripheral arterial disease can lead to gangrene and amputation.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA). If you experience a sudden onset of weakness or numbness on one side of your face, arm, or leg, or an inability to talk or find words, or lose vision in one eye, you may be having a mini-stroke or TIA. Neurological symptoms that last less than 24 hours are called TIAs, where as symptoms that persist for longer periods are classified as strokes.

They are often the result of atherosclerosis in the arteries that supply blood to the brain, such as the carotid arteries. This is very serious. If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. This is the brain's equivalent of a "heart attack," during which the brain is deprived of oxygen-carrying blood supply. Any delay in medical treatment may permanently damage your brain.