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At first, COPD may cause no symptoms or only mild symptoms. As the disease worsens, common signs and symptoms include an ongoing cough (with or without mucus), shortness of breath, wheezing or whistling when breathing, and chest tightness.

Researchers do not know the exact cause of LAM or why it mainly affects women, but they believe genes and the female hormone estrogen play a role.

There are many risk factors for ischemic heart disease. Your risk of ischemic heart disease increases with the type and number of risk factors you have and how serious they are. Some risk factors—such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol—can be changed through heart-healthy lifestyle changes. Other risk factors, such as sex, older age, family history and genetics, and race and ethnicity, cannot be changed.

Your doctor will diagnose heart inflammation based on your medical history, a physical exam, and various tests and procedures, such as echocardiography.

Factors that increase your risk for high blood pressure include unhealthy lifestyle habits such as eating too much sodium, drinking too much alcohol, and being physically inactive. Other risk factors include age, family history and genetics, race and ethnicity, and sex.

Risk factors for iron-deficiency anemia include being of certain age groups, some unhealthy environmental factors, family history and genetics, being female, and certain lifestyle habits such as vegetarianism.

Signs, symptoms, and complications will vary based on the type of congenital heart defect that you or your child have, and may be different for newborns and adults.

An arrhythmia may not cause any obvious signs or symptoms. You may notice something that occurs only occasionally, or your symptoms may become more frequent over time. If left untreated, arrhythmia can lead to life-threatening complications such as stroke, heart failure, or sudden cardiac arrest.

An aortic aneurysm may not cause any signs or symptoms until the aneurysm ruptures or dissects. The types of symptoms that occur before a rupture will depend on the location of the aneurysm and whether it has become large enough to affect other parts of your body. An aneurysm that ruptures or dissects is life-threatening.

You may have an increased risk of developing an aortic aneurysm because of your age, family history, genes, lifestyle habits, medical conditions, or sex.