Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart. The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology.
Physicians specializing in this field of medicine are called cardiologists.

Heart disease symptoms vary, depending on what type of heart disease you have.

Symptoms of heart disease in your blood vessels (cardiovascular disease)

Cardiovascular disease is caused by narrowed, blocked or stiffened blood vessels that prevent your heart, brain or other parts of your body from receiving enough blood.   Cardiovascular disease symptoms can
include :

• Chest pain (angina)
• Shortness of breath
• Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms, if the blood vessels in those parts of your body are narrowed.

Heart disease symptoms caused by abnormal heartbeats (heart arrhythmias)

A heart arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat. Your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly or irregularly if you have an arrhythmia. Heart arrhythmia symptoms can include :

• A fluttering in your chest
• A racing heartbeat (tachycardia)
• A slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Fainting (syncope) or near fainting.

Heart disease symptoms caused by heart defects

Serious congenital heart defects — defects you're born with — usually become evident soon after birth. Heart defect symptoms could include:

• Pale gray or blue skin color (cyanosis)
• Swelling in the legs, abdomen or areas around the eyes
• Shortness of breath during feedings, leading to poor weight gain
• Less serious congenital heart defects are often not diagnosed until later in childhood or even during adulthood. Signs and symptoms of congenital heart defects that usually aren't immediately life-threatening include:
• Easily becoming short of breath during exercise or activity
• Easily tiring during exercise or activity
• Built-up fluid in the heart or lungs
• Swelling in the hands, ankles or feet.
  

Heart disease symptoms caused by thick heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)

Cardiomyopathy is the thickening and stiffening of heart muscle. In early stages of cardiomyopathy, you may have no symptoms. As the condition worsens, cardiomyopathy symptoms include:

• Breathlessness with exertion or even at rest
• Swelling of the legs, ankles and feet
• Bloating (distention) of the abdomen with fluid
• Fatigue
• Irregular heartbeats that feel rapid, pounding or fluttering
• Dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting.
  

Heart disease symptoms caused by heart infections

There are three types of heart infections:

• Pericarditis, which affects the tissue surrounding the heart (pericardium)
• Myocarditis, which affects the muscular middle layer of the walls of the heart (myocardium)
• Endocarditis, which affects the inner membrane that separates the chambers and valves of the heart (endocardium)