There are various other medical conditions that have symptoms similar to the heart disease. But here are some key symptoms that you should aware of:

Heart palpitations: It is an extremely common symptom, which is an unusual awareness of the heartbeat. People who complain of palpitations describe them as skips in the heartbeat or as periods of rapid and/or irregular heartbeats. People with heart palpitations can experience abnormal heart rhythms. Definite causes of heart palpitations are premature atrial complexes (PACs), premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), episodes of atrial fibrillation, and episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

Chest discomfort or chest pain: Most of the people think that chest pain equal to heart pain. But there are various other conditions can cause chest pain and the most common one is cardiac disease. As it is so dangerous, you should never ignore the symptom of chest pain as sometimes it can lead to person’s death also.

Chest pain is the term used to describe any pressure, pain, chocking, squeezing, numbness or any other discomfort in the chest, upper abdomen or neck and also it is associated with pain in the jaw, arms and head. It lasts for few seconds to days or weeks. Pain can occur frequently or rarely and can also occur sporadically or predictably.

Dizziness or lightheadedness: Episodes of dizziness or lightheadedness are due to various causes such as anemia, various blood disorders, viral illnesses, dehydration, diabetes, liver disease, vascular disease, prolonged bed rest, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal disturbances, kidney disease, neurological disorders, vasovagal episodes, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. So one should have through or complete examination by a family physician or primary care physician. Ignoring these conditions can even lead to death. A good general internist or a family doctor is the best place to start.

Shortness of breath: Cardiac or lung disorders are the most common causes of shortness of breath. Coronary artery disease or heart failure frequently produces shortness of breath. Heart failure can cause shortness of breath associated with exertion. Lying flat on your backs can also cause shortness of breath. Some other conditions that cause shortness of breath include: valvular heart disease, pericardial disease or cardiac arrhythmias.

Lung disorders that produce shortness of breath include: asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, or pleural effusion. Always this is the sign of a serious medical condition that should be evaluated by a primary care physician.

Loss of consciousness: Medically it is termed as syncope. It is a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness. Though it is not a serious medical condition, sometimes it is a life threatening condition. So, it is essential to find out the definite cause.

Fatigue or lethargy: It is the inability to continue functioning at your normal levels. Though fatigue and lethargy can be the symptoms of heart disease, they can also be due to the disorders of virtually any other organ system in your body. People with these symptoms should undergo a general medical evaluation to find out the specific cause.

Daytime sleepiness: This condition is medically termed as somnolence. This is the condition in which one either craves sleep – or worse, finds oneself suddenly asleep during the daytime. This condition is caused by nocturnal sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, or restless leg syndrome. These kind of sleep disturbances are more common in patients with heart disease.

Internist is a specialist in Internal Medicine who can diagnose and treat the diseases in adults and adolescents. They trained to make difficult diagnoses, direct complex medical investigations and manage most diseases of the internal organs. Also, an internist helps in disease prevention by advising the patients about the risk factors associated with adult onset diseases.

It is very important to choose an internist that fits your lifestyle. It is easy to find a good internist. Search internet to find an internist in your area and make a call for appointment. You can narrow down your search by choosing local resources. Make sure that you make an educated choice.

If you have disease symptoms that need attention by a specialist, your internist can be the person who determines which type of specialist you need to see. Most often an internist can serve as a primary care specialist for adults.

To find the right fit between you and an internist, you need to identify the possibilities, research their credentials and then assess their capabilities for partnering with you.

To find an experienced internist, you need to assign some time to find the below list.

• Just find some other patients who have similar health problem like you. Ask them for the names of internists they are working with.
• Ask your primary care specialist for a referral or tips to find an internist in your area.
• Do a search to find names of internists in your area.
• Enquire at the insurance company for list of internists who work with your insurance type.

Use these lists and find names in common that can satisfy your needs. Also you can spend some time to know more about the internist by researching their credentials and capabilities.