A common symptom of coronary artery disease is chest pain, also known as angina. Angina occurs when the heart muscle needs more blood that it is getting, for example, during any exercise or stressful situation. As coronary arteries become severely narrowed, it may allow just sufficient blood to reach the heart muscle at rest, but with physical exertion, the heart has to work harder and needs more oxygen. During this physical exertion, the demand for oxygen becomes greater than the supply of the oxygen, due to the narrowing of the coronary arteries.
Angina pain can manifest as tightness, heaviness of pressure in your chest. It may also involve an aching, burning or numb sensation. These sensations may radiate from the chest to your arms and fingers, or to your back, shoulders, neck or jaw. Other symptoms include:
- a general feeling of pressure or heaviness,
- sweating
- shortness of breath
- weakness
- dizziness
- nausea
- palpitations or rapid heartbeat
Some people may not experience any symptoms until they are on the verge of a serious cardiac event, such as a heart attack or heart failure. This is known as silent heart attack.
Women, older patients, and patients with diabetes may experience symptoms of coronary artery disease differently from men, and that their symptoms are less likely to be identified as being heart-related.
The common symptoms of coronary artery disease in women are:
- pain or pressure that travels to the arm or jaw
- burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen
- shortness of breath
- irregular heartbeat
- dizziness
- fatigue
- nausea