Aging Gracefully: Recognition and Prevention of Cardiovascular Trouble

• High cholesterol -- Produces fatty buildup within the arteries that restricts blood flow and causes coronary artery disease. It eventually results in angina (chest pains) or heart attack. High cholesterol usually has no symptoms until severe; it requires blood work to detect early on.
• Coronary artery disease -- Develops when the coronary arteries become damaged or diseased. Often a result of fatty cholesterol buildup, it can cause angina or heart attack. Patients with this disease sometimes experience heart pain and shortness of breath. However, without testing cholesterol levels, coronary artery disease can go undetected until a heart attack or stroke occurs.
• High blood pressure (hypertension) -- Can lead to heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease and aortic aneurysms. It is usually undetectable without testing until severe, but symptoms can include dizziness, dull headaches and nosebleeds.
• Arteriosclerosis -- Narrows the arteries, which reduces blood flow to your limbs. It is often caused by plaque build-up in the arteries, and it can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Symptoms may not be present until the condition is severe and include numbness of limbs, chest pain and leg pain when walking.
• Anemia -- Caused by low red blood cell count. Symptoms include fatigue, chest pains, irregular heartbeat and coldness of the extremities. 
• Abnormal heart rhythms (irregular heart beat) -- Caused by a weak or damaged heart. Symptoms include a fluttering heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness, dizziness and fainting. It's important to know that these symptoms can also be present in normal, healthy adults, or they could be a symptom of ventricular fibrillation, an extremely serious cardiac rhythm disturbance.
• Congestive heart failure -- Can be caused by coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, edema (swelling of hands and feet), irregular heartbeat, loss of appetite or nausea, or swelling of the abdomen.

Some of the symptoms described above can be considered normal or may not be related to the condition at all, but others can be life threatening. It is vitally important to seek the help of your doctor to determine the severity of your symptoms and how they relate to your health. Signs and symptoms vary from person to person, depending on the overall health of each individual.