Cardiologist vs. Heart Specialist: What’s The Difference?

Posted on February 11, 2023

During your regular checkup with your primary care doctor, they will examine the function of your heart. If any abnormalities are detected, they may refer you to a heart specialist to investigate further. Cardiologists are highly trained in diagnosing and treating heart conditions. As experts in heart and blood vessel diseases, cardiologists have many subspecialties to more accurately diagnose and treat issues affecting the cardiovascular system.A Doctor in a White Lab Coat Wearing a Stethoscope Around Her Neck Takes an Older Male Patient’s Blood Pressure at a Wood Table

Visiting a cardiologist with symptoms ranging from dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, or high blood pressure may lead to some noninvasive tests. When you visit our cardiologist in New Jersey for any of the previously mentioned symptoms, diagnostic testing may be recommended. This could include a chest X-ray, a cardiac MRI, an electrocardiogram, or an echocardiogram, all depending on the symptoms that you are presenting. If you have recently had a heart attack or stroke, you may be referred to a cardiac surgeon for more intensive care and treatment.

Some of the conditions and disorders our cardiologists in New Jersey can diagnose and treat include:

  • Atherosclerosis: Narrowed blood vessels from fatty material that forms plaque in the artery walls.
  • Angina: Chest discomfort or shortness of breath caused when heart muscles receive insufficient oxygen-rich blood.
  • Arrhythmia: An irregular resting heart rate of either more than 100 beats per minute or less than 60 beats per minute.
  • Coronary artery disease: A condition where the major blood vessels supplying blood to the heart are narrowed.
  • High blood pressure: A condition that causes high pressure in the arteries or vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
  • High cholesterol: An accumulation of fat deposits that build into plaque, blocking or slowing down the flow of blood through the arteries. This can slow blood flow and can cause damage to the heart and brain.

Count on the expert cardiologists at The Medical Group of New Jersey to diagnose and treat your heart condition. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with an expert cardiologist in New Jersey.