Coronary heart disease (CHD) often manifests itself gradually and is therefore easily underestimated. Typical symptoms that should be taken seriously:
These symptoms usually occur during physical exertion and improve at rest. This is precisely a warning signal: the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen at these times.
Caution: Diabetics, older people and women can often experience atypical symptoms such as Upper abdominal pain, nausea, shortness of breath, severe palpitations and extreme tiredness!
Indirect (non-invasive)
These methods check whether the heart muscle is receiving sufficient oxygen under stress. Their accuracy is around 80 %.
Coronary CT angiography
Direct (invasive)
For patients with typical stress pain and several risk factors, 20 % uncertainty is too high for me. That's why I recommend the direct route via cardiac catheterization in such cases.
In the end, however, the decision lies with the patients themselves. My job as a cardiologist is to educate and advise without pushing.
Exercise-induced chest pain is not a trivial symptom. They must be clarified by a doctor in order to detect coronary heart disease at an early stage and reduce the risk of a heart attack.
If they occur during exercise/rest and may be associated with shortness of breath.
In angina pectoris, the blood flow in the coronary arteries is restricted; in a heart attack, a vessel is completely blocked.
A catheter is advanced to the coronary arteries via an artery in the wrist or groin. Using a contrast agent, constrictions can be visualized and, if necessary, widened with a stent (small wire tube = vessel support).
Chest pain on exertion should always be clarified by a doctor. The earlier we recognize coronary heart disease, the better complications can be avoided.
„Doctor, my heart stops sometimes.“ I hear this concern very often during consultations. This usually refers to so-called extrasystoles. These are additional heartbeats that feel like stumbling, palpitations or a brief pause. The good news is that extrasystoles are harmless in most cases, but it is important to classify them correctly and to know when they occur.
„No time for sport?“ - why habits are more important than timetables. „Doctor, I don't have time for sport.“ I hear this sentence almost every day in my (online) consultation. But time is rarely the real problem. It's more about our habits. What science says about habits Charles Duhigg describes in
Smoking and heart health - how nicotine massively increases the risk of heart attack. „Stop smoking.“ My patients don't hear this sentence from me. Because if it were that easy, many would have quit long ago. Smoking is not just a bad habit, but a strong physical and mental addiction.
In the event of sudden chest pain, shortness of breath or other acute symptoms, please call 112 immediately.
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