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Disorders that affect the heart or blood vessels are called cardiovascular disorders. These disorders are usually divided into heart (cardiac) disorders and peripheral blood vessel disorders. Heart disorders affect the heart and the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle. Peripheral blood vessel disorders affect the blood vessels of the arms, legs, and trunk (except those supplying the heart). Disorders that affect the blood vessels supplying the brain are called cerebrovascular disorders. Stroke is an example (see Stroke (CVA): Overview of Stroke).
No single symptom unmistakably indicates a heart disorder, but certain symptoms suggest the possibility, and several symptoms together may make the diagnosis almost certain. Doctors identify symptoms by interviewing the person to obtain the medical history and by performing a physical examination. Often, diagnostic procedures are performed to confirm the diagnosis. However, sometimes a heart disorder, even when serious, produces no symptoms until it reaches a late stage. Routine health checkups or a visit to the doctor for another reason may uncover a heart disorder that has caused no symptoms. Sometimes doctors perform procedures to screen for a heart disorder even when there is no evidence of it.
The symptoms of heart disorder include certain types of pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations (awareness of slow, fast, or irregular heartbeats), light-headedness, fainting, and swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. However, these symptoms do not necessarily indicate a heart disorder. For example, chest pain may be due to a respiratory or digestive disorder rather than to a heart disorder.
Symptoms of peripheral blood vessel disorders vary depending on where the affected blood vessels are located. Symptoms may include pain, shortness of breath, muscle cramps, muscle fatigue, light-headedness, swelling, numbness, and a change in skin color of the affected part of the body.
Last full review/revision April 2006 by Paul H. Tanser, MD
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