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Other symptoms of pericarditis may include dry cough, fever, fatigue, and anxiety. [citation needed] Due to its similarity to the pain of myocardial infarction (heart attack), pericarditis can be misdiagnosed as a heart attack. Acute myocardial infarction can also cause pericarditis, but the presenting symptoms often differ enough to warrant ...
Complaints of chest pain should be immediately checked for an abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG). ECG changes compatible but not indicative of variant angina include elevations rather than depressions of the ST segment or an elevated ST segment plus a widening of the R wave to create a single, broad QRS complex peak termed the "monophasic curve". [4]
Coronary vasospasm refers to when a coronary artery suddenly undergoes either complete or sub-total temporary occlusion. [ 1 ] In 1959, Prinzmetal et al. described a type of chest pain resulting from coronary vasospasm, referring to it as a variant form of classical angina pectoris . [ 2 ]
This may include the neck, left or right arms, cervical spine, back, and upper abdomen. [9] Other associated symptoms with chest pain can include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, anxiety, and sweating. [8] [1] The type, severity, duration, and associated symptoms of chest pain can help guide diagnosis and further treatment.
Coronary vasospasm may result in cardiac arrhythmias, altering the heart's electrical conduction with a risk of complete cardiac arrest from severe or prolonged rhythm changes. Mechanical abnormalities with an associated risk of cardiac arrest may arise from coronary artery dissection, which can be attributed to Marfan Syndrome or trauma. [29]
Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart. [4] Typically, patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy have a history of acute myocardial infarction, [5] however, it may occur in patients with coronary artery disease, but without a past history of acute myocardial infarction.
The second component involves cardiac signs and symptoms seen with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Cardiac symptoms vary depending on the type of variant the patient presents with. Acute coronary syndrome is usually associated with a constrictive pain in the chest, characteristically with radiation to the neck or the left arm and often ...
Microvascular angina is a diagnosis of exclusion. Typically this will necessitate both a clinical diagnosis, appropriate stress testing, and a coronary angiogram that meet the above criteria. Cardiac MRI can be used to diagnose microvascular angina. Studies are ongoing to validate this approach.