There are numerous signs and symptoms associated with ischemic heart disease. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, ischemic heart disease, also known as ischemic cardiomyopathy, is caused by coronary artery disease, which impairs the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body. The NIH notes that many people with ischemic heart disease also have congestive heart failure.
Chest Pain
Chest pain is a sign and symptom of ischemic heart disease. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI—a division of the National Institutes of Health—chest pain or discomfort, also known as angina, manifests when a portion of a person's heart muscle gets insufficient oxygenated blood, and chest pain may feel like pressure or squeezing. The NHLBI notes that, along with chest pain, a person—especially a woman—may experience shoulder, arm, neck, jaw or back pain, and that ischemic heart disease-related chest pain may mimic the discomfort associated with indigestion. The New York Times website states that pain directly under the breastbone or sternum is symptomatic of ischemic cardiomyopathy, and that ischemic cardiomyopathy is the most common type of cardiomyopathy in the United States, affecting about one in every 100 people.
Dizziness and Fainting
Dizziness is a sign and symptom of ischemic heart disease. According to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, or CCHMC--one of the top three pediatric medical centers in the United States--dizziness may be a stand-alone symptom of ischemic heart disease, or it may occur in conjunction with syncope or fainting. CCHMC states that diminished heart function, such as that seen with ischemic heart disease, is a cardiac-related cause of dizziness and syncope. A 2001 study by Philip D. Sloane, M.D., MPH and colleagues published in the journal "Annals of Internal Medicine" states that patients with dizziness may be experiencing acute ischemic heart disease, which is a life-threatening condition. The researchers notes that other possible life-threatening causes of dizziness include the following: acute infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, stroke and toxin exposure, among others.
Dyspnea
Dyspnea or shortness of breath is a sign and symptom of ischemic heart disease. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases or NIDDK--a division of the National Institutes of Health--a person with damage to her heart muscle, also known as cardiomyopathy, may not show signs or symptoms in the early stages, but may later experience the following symptoms: weakness, a severe cough, fatigue, swelling of the extremities and shortness of breath. NIDDK notes that women are more likely to experience ischemic heart disease-related shortness of breath than men, along with nausea and back and jaw pain. Shortness of breath due to ischemic heart disease occurs when the heart damage impairs the function of the left ventricle, which in turn may cause left ventricular failure and the pulmonary edema or fluid accumulation in the lungs.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Signs and Symptoms
- "Annals of Internal Medicine;" Dizziness: State of the Science; Philip D. Sloane, M.D., MPH et al.; 2001
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke
