People with ARVD may not show any signs or produce any symptoms until they go into cardiac arrest. This medical emergency can strike patients at any age, including children, and is more likely to occur when patients are physically active or very upset.

Many people with ARVD are unaware they have the disease until they reach their 30s or 40s and first begin to experience symptoms. About half of ARVD patients experience abnormal ventricular contractions (arrhythmia). The severity and nature of the arrhythmias depends on the extent of the disease. Symptoms might include pounding or galloping heartbeat (palpitations), dizziness, chest pains, fainting (syncope) and symptoms of heart failure, which include:

• Shortness of breath (dyspnea). This is one of the earliest symptoms of heart failure. The patient gets winded and fatigued more quickly than before, just by performing regular daily activities or even lying in bed. There is also decreased tolerance to exercise, and the muscles may feel weaker than before.
  
  
• Swelling (edema). Swelling of the legs is another common symptom of heart failure, though it can also be caused by unrelated conditions.
  
  
• Swollen neck veins.
  
  
• Abdominal discomfort. This includes swelling, pain or nausea.
  
  
• Mental confusion.
  
  
• Kidney malfunction or failure (in the later stages of heart failure).

In addition to these symptoms, the physician may also be able to detect signs of heart failure, which include: 

• An abnormal pulse
  
  
• An abnormal heart murmur
  
  
• A rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) or abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
  
  
• Swelling and fluid retention in the liver or gastrointestinal tract (in advanced stages of heart failure)
  
  
• Liver malfunction