Symptoms are usually what brings someone to a cardiologist. These pages explain what each one can mean, when it is worth investigating and what an assessment involves. A symptom on its own rarely gives the answer, so each page links through to the conditions it can point to.
A symptom is rarely specific to one condition. Chest pain can come from the heart, the lungs, the gullet or the chest wall. Palpitations can be an awareness of your own heartbeat or a sign of an abnormal rhythm. Breathlessness and blackouts have a similarly wide range of causes.
That is why each page here explains not only what the symptom feels like, but what else it can point to and which possibilities are usually looked at first. Each one links through to the relevant conditions and to the tests used to investigate them.
If a symptom is severe or came on suddenly, particularly with chest pain, breathlessness or collapse, treat it as an emergency and seek medical help rather than reading about it.
BlackoutsBlackouts, or the sudden loss of consciousness (also called syncope), can happen to some people under stressful circumstances or hot weather.Read more
BreathlessnessDifficulty in breathing is a common sensation and can be normal if you over exert, but can also be suggestive of an underlying medical problem.Read more
Chest PainThere are many causes of chest pains, some of which are not serious but others which are serious and life threatening.Read more
PalpitationsHeart palpitations can feel like a racing, fluttering or pounding heartbeat. Learn the common causes, when to see a cardiologist, and how they're assessed.Read moreRelated sections
Each symptom above links through to the conditions it can indicate, listed in full under Conditions. Tests and Investigations explains how those possibilities are narrowed down, and Treatments covers what follows a diagnosis.