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What Causes Palpitations, Shortness Of Breath And Numbness?
Question: under what circumstances would a coronary ct angiogram be ordered. I want one to rule out my heart being the cause of my symptoms but drs won't order one. I'm 25 female and babe had palpitations, severe dizziness, shortness of breath and numbness but I've also had a stress test, echo, stress echo, Holter, event monitor; all normal. but still worried about some type of blockage.
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that a coronary angio CT is used to explore the overall coronary calcium burden (score) and to directly visualize any possible coronary artery stenosis.
This test is recommended when there is an intermediate pretest probability of the presence of coronary artery stenosis (that is the case when there is a presence of suspicious clinical symptomatology of chest pain, suspicious ECG and in the presence of coronary risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking contacts, strong heredity for CAD, etc..
Now, returning to your case, as you are a very young woman, without any evidence of coronary risk factors, without a clear symptomatology of chest pain, an no evidence of abnormality from your performed cardiac tests (echo/stress echo; stress test; Holter, etc), it doesn't seem that coronary angio CT would yield any important additional medical information in this regard.
It is more likely that your nonspecific complaints (dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath, etc.) be related to an anxiety disorder.
I would recommend consulting with a specialist of this field (psychiatrist, psychotherapist), to help you manage your anxiety.
Yoga and a lot of physical activity (walking, aerobics, recreational sports, etc.) can really be helpful to you.
I would also recommend checking your thyroid hormone levels, as thyroid dysfunction could trigger all this clinical scenario.
Hope to have clarified some of your uncertainties!
Feel free to ask any other questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that a coronary angio CT is used to explore the overall coronary calcium burden (score) and to directly visualize any possible coronary artery stenosis.
This test is recommended when there is an intermediate pretest probability of the presence of coronary artery stenosis (that is the case when there is a presence of suspicious clinical symptomatology of chest pain, suspicious ECG and in the presence of coronary risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking contacts, strong heredity for CAD, etc..
Now, returning to your case, as you are a very young woman, without any evidence of coronary risk factors, without a clear symptomatology of chest pain, an no evidence of abnormality from your performed cardiac tests (echo/stress echo; stress test; Holter, etc), it doesn't seem that coronary angio CT would yield any important additional medical information in this regard.
It is more likely that your nonspecific complaints (dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath, etc.) be related to an anxiety disorder.
I would recommend consulting with a specialist of this field (psychiatrist, psychotherapist), to help you manage your anxiety.
Yoga and a lot of physical activity (walking, aerobics, recreational sports, etc.) can really be helpful to you.
I would also recommend checking your thyroid hormone levels, as thyroid dysfunction could trigger all this clinical scenario.
Hope to have clarified some of your uncertainties!
Feel free to ask any other questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thank you. so should I be concerned if I do get chest pain as well. is there a chance that I could have some blockage.
Brief Answer:
Your symptoms are not related to any cardiac disorders.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Yes, I can assure you that you do not have any blocked arteries (coronary artery disease).
All your performed cardiac tests can confirm this.
So, just relax and try not to think about it any more!
Anxiety seems to play an important role in all your symptomatology.
I recommend you to focus on your anxiety and try to manage it. A specialist of this field can also help you!
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
Your symptoms are not related to any cardiac disorders.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Yes, I can assure you that you do not have any blocked arteries (coronary artery disease).
All your performed cardiac tests can confirm this.
So, just relax and try not to think about it any more!
Anxiety seems to play an important role in all your symptomatology.
I recommend you to focus on your anxiety and try to manage it. A specialist of this field can also help you!
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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