Chest pain (angina) or shortness of breath may be the earliest signs of CAD. A person may feel heaviness, tightness, pain, burning, pressure, or squeezing, usually behind the breastbone but sometimes also in the arms, neck, or jaws. These signs usually bring the patient to a doctor for the first time. Nevertheless, some people have heart attacks without ever having any of these symptoms.It is important to know that there is a wide range of severity for CAD. Some people do not have any symptoms at all, some have mild intermittent chest pain, and some have more pronounced and steady pain. Still, others have CAD that is severe enough to make normal everyday activities difficult. Because CAD varies so much from one person to another, the way a doctor diagnoses and treats CAD will also vary. The following descriptions are general guidelines to some tests and treatments that may or may not be used, depending on the individual case.
