Study note
MedicineCardiology

Assessing presenting cardiovascular symptoms

THE CONTEXT
Cardiovascular symptoms can overlap with symptoms caused by disease in other systems, so diagnosis requires careful clinical assessment.

Diagnostic approach

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Assess the factors that provoke symptoms, the patient's precise description of them, clinical findings and investigation results.
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A close relationship between symptoms and exertion usually suggests heart disease.

Functional limitation

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The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification grades the degree of disability caused by cardiac symptoms.
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