Symptoms of Atherosclerosis

If you have a blockage in one or more of your coronary arteries, the blood supply to your heart is severely compromised. The chest pain, chest discomfort, arm pain, or other symptoms you may have experienced are the warning signs that your heart muscle is not getting enough blood. If this persists, you could suffer a heart attack and the muscle will be damaged.

A blockage in your legs, feet, arms or hands is called Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD). Symptoms are most often described as a cramp, but it may also be described as a burning sensation, an ache, or a feeling of heaviness in the leg or arm. A common place to feel discomfort is in the calf muscle, though it may also occur in the thigh or buttock.