Q1. I am an adult male / female, what are the early symptoms of heart disease in adults for which I should see a heart specialist?
Answer –
Common symptoms of heart disease include
- Breathlessness (which becomes more on exertion)
- Pain in the chest (which becomes more on exertion)
- Swelling in the legs
- Palpitation (feeling of fast/forceful beating of the heart)
- Syncope / Giddiness
- Excessive tiredness/sweating on walking/exercise
- Nocturnal cough
- Inability to lie flat due to suffocation
You should consult a heart specialist if you have any of above symptoms.
Q2. I don’t have any symptoms of heart disease. Should i still see a heart specialist?
Answer –
It is said that prevention is better than cure and it is a good practice to see your physician regularly for preventive checkups. As far as heart diseases are concerned, people who have no symptoms of heart disease and are above the age of 40-45 yrs should also consult a heart specialist once every two years if they have any of the following
- If any of their first-degree relatives (father, mother, siblings) have had a heart condition.
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Smoking / Tobacco chewing
- High Cholesterol
- Long standing kidney disease
- Stressful job / lifestyle
Q3. Can small kids also have heart disease? What are the symptoms of heart disease in children which need medical attention?
Answer –
Certain heart disease can be congenital (by birth) in nature. With advancement in medical technology and care many of these diseases are now being diagnosed during the pre-natal period itself or immediately after childbirth. Depending upon the type and severity of the
underlying disease they may manifest at different ages and in different ways. Broadly speaking they are of two main groups.
Common symptoms of the first group of congenital heart diseases are
Repeated respiratory infection (chest infection / cough-cold or pneumonia in child)
Very fast breathing
Chest retraction while breathing
Very fast heart beating felt by the mother while caring for the child
Difficulty in breast feeding the child (child gets tired on breast feeding and stops feeding before his hunger is satisfied)
Sweating on the forehead of child while breast-feeding
Excessive crying
Failure of gain weight normally
Delay in developmental milestones
Abnormal heart sounds heard by your physician while examining the baby
Common symptoms of the second group of congenital heart disease are
- Blue discoloration of lips and fingertips of child
- Excessive crying – limping – crying episodes (called Cyanotic Spells)
- Squatting episodes – after some physical activity child stops to take rest and sits with his lower limbs close to his chest
- Excessive tiredness
- Swelling of the tips of the finger (Clubbing)
If a child has any of the above symptoms the parents must contact a heart specialist.