Chest pain can occur at any time. In a person, usually in such situations there is a panic, fear for life. He immediately begins to take heart drops and puts pills under his tongue. Most people with repeated pain in the heart area seek help from a doctor. After a thorough examination and various studies, it often turns out that such pains have nothing to do with heart disease. It should be noted that there are many causes that cause pain behind the sternum, including heart disease. Understand such circumstances can only a doctor.
Why does my heart hurt?
Pain behind the sternum is a common symptom among both the elderly and middle-aged and young people. This pain does not always signal a heart disease, most often it occurs with problems with the stomach, spine, lungs, ribs, chest. Any chronic pathology of the human body can cause pain in the sternum. The causes of pain in the heart are conditionally divided into groups.
Heart problems:
- damage to the heart muscle - myocardial infarction;
- angina pectoris - angina pectoris;
- acute and chronic myocardial lesions - ischemia;
- heart valve disease - a defect;
- high load on the heart muscle.
Disruption of other body systems:
- musculoskeletal;
- Nervous
- respiratory
- endocrine;
- vascular.
Some cases:
- negative effects of drugs, alcohol, nicotine;
- tumors (benign and malignant);
- cracks and fractures of ribs;
- failure of the gastrointestinal tract;
- pregnancy;
- conditions after anesthesia.
The main thing is to be able to distinguish heart pain from other neuralgic conditions, because in this case immediate medical attention is required. And to determine the reason why the heart hurts, the type of pain helps.
Simple ways to detect heart pain
- Take valocordin or dissolve a validol tablet. The pain should soon subside.
- Hold the breath. Pain in the heart does not stop.
- There is aches, pain in the bones, numbness of the muscles of the forearm, chest fever, sweating, shortness of breath.
For any manifestation of chest pain, it is best to consult a doctor. Only he, using instrumental and biochemical research methods, can correctly diagnose.
Causes of Heart Disease
There are many reasons that cause diseases of the cardiovascular system. We list some of them:
- Viruses and infections. Late treatment to the doctor and improper treatment of acute bacterial and viral diseases, such as pneumonia, flu, acute respiratory infections, contributes to the infection in the heart muscle, causing inflammation. As a result, serious diseases develop: myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis. They cause pain in the heart and lead to irreversible changes.
- Sedentary lifestyle. The development of many heart diseases contributes to the regular absence of feasible physical activity. With a sedentary lifestyle, it is impossible to maintain the vessels, ligaments and muscles (including the heart) in tone.
- Unbalanced diet. A large amount of fat and fast carbohydrates, which are found in a lot of modern foods, harm all organs, including the heart. There is obesity of the heart muscle associated with shortness of breath, arrhythmia, and pain in the region of the heart gives into the arm.
- Alcohol abuse leads to a violation of the heart rhythm, increased blood pressure, causes chest pain. In chronic alcoholism, cardiomyopathy appears, associated with shortness of breath and heart failure.
- Smoking. With this bad habit, the heartbeat intensifies, which contributes to the enhanced work of the heart muscle. The delivery of oxygen with blood to various organs is slowed down.
With the right lifestyle and timely seeking help from a doctor, many heart diseases can be avoided.
The first symptoms of heart disease
Many people often ignore the initial signs of heart disease, considering them frivolous, and lose time without starting timely treatment. It is necessary to pay attention to the following signs, which may well be associated with heart diseases:
- Chest pain. The feeling that pain in the area of the heart presses and burns in the chest can just be associated with heart problems. In this case, a person experiences a wide variety of types of pain: acute, dull, aching, periodic, giving to the back, arm and neck. It should be remembered that chest pain does not always mean a heart problem, it is possible, for example, with osteochondrosis.
- Increased heart rate. Often this happens with stress, emotional stress, physical activity. When this symptom appears without stress, in the absence of unrest with weakness and fainting, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
- Dyspnea. It is present in diseases associated with the lungs. But a feeling of lack of air is also possible with heart failure, as well as a heart attack.
- Dizziness. Low or high blood pressure, in addition to this symptom, often causes fatigue and nausea.
- Pressure instability always causes problems with the cardiovascular system. Irregular heartbeat indicates abnormalities in the heart.
- Weakness. It is associated not only with overwork, but also with heart diseases.
- Pallor. This symptom applies to many diseases of blood vessels and the heart. In severe diseases, cyanosis of the limbs, nose and earlobes is observed.
- Swelling occurs with poor kidney function and heart failure.
- Cough. A persistent dry cough is a sign of heart disease, except for a cold and lung disease.
- Nausea. Its frequent attacks, similar to poisoning, with the exception of gastritis and stomach ulcers, indicate heart disease.
With all these symptoms, you yourself cannot understand the causes of their appearance, so you should consult your doctor.
Signs of pain associated with cardiology
- An attack of angina pectoris is characterized by dull pain in the region of the heart. It can be compressive, compressive, cutting, but not sharp. The pain gives between the shoulder blades, in the left arm, neck, jaw. It occurs after physical exertion, stress, when changing heat to cold. The patient has shortness of breath and a sense of fear of death. Lasts from a few seconds to 20 minutes. Taking nitroglycerin relieves the attack.
- Myocardial infarction - there is a burning or pressing pain in the region of the heart, which gives to the back and left side of the chest. The patient has frequent breathing, pain during movement intensifies. He feels the weight on his chest, which makes it difficult to breathe. Nitroglycerin does not help.
- Aortic diseases - pain in the upper part of the sternum. It appears after exercise and lasts several days. With stratified aortic aneurysm, severe bursting pain occurs, leading to loss of consciousness.
- Myocarditis, pericarditis - there is a slight, aching pain in the heart. It is constant, continuous, similar to angina pectoris. There is a recoil in the left shoulder and neck. During work and during sleep, shortness of breath is observed, asthma attacks occur. With pericarditis, the pain is dull and uniform, body temperature is elevated. With deep breathing and coughing, the pain intensifies.
- Pulmonary thromboembolism - at the onset of the disease, the patient has severe pain in the region of the heart, palpitations, low blood pressure, and bluish skin. Painkillers do not stop the pain.
Non-cardiac pain
- Gastrointestinal diseases - spasmodic pains in the stomach often respond with painful sensations in the chest. But unlike heart, they are accompanied by heartburn, nausea and vomiting. Their duration is longer and associated with food intake, they disappear after the end of the meal. Throbbing pains in the region of the heart and the left side of the chest occur during spasm of the gallbladder and ducts. And the state of attacks of acute pancreatitis can well be mistaken for a heart attack.
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system - pain in the left half of the chest with sudden movements and respiratory arrest may occur from scoliosis, which is a defect in the spine, inflammation of the intercostal muscles. A chiropractor or gymnastics will help to cope with these problems.
- Osteochondrosis - with damage to the cervicothoracic region, a pressing, aching pain in the heart region appears, which is easily confused with an attack of angina pectoris. She gives to the neck, chest and arm. The pain is not stopped by nitroglycerin, but is well relieved by non-steroidal drugs.
- CNS disorders are accompanied by frequent heart pains in the lower left chest. Stressful pain causes irritability, sleep disturbance. Mild aching pain in a calm state in the region of the heart may appear as a result of depression.
- Intercostal neuralgia is characterized by shooting sharp pain in the region of the heart, which intensifies with movements, inhalation, coughing, laughing. Gives to the lower back, back and heart. Confused with pain with angina pectoris.
Heart diseases in children
Children's diseases of this organ often end in disability, and in some cases have a fatal outcome. Children, unlike adults, very rarely complain of heart pain and malaise, so it is important to make a diagnosis on time and start therapy. Most often, they have heart defects, of which there are many varieties. All of them are very dangerous and are often treated only by surgery, even immediately after birth. Often the cause of heart disease in a child is a complication after a sore throat. Parents need to carefully monitor the health of their children, so as not to miss the development of a serious ailment.
Pain in the heart and shoulder blades
In this case, the cause of the pain should be sought in the heart itself, but other pathologies that provoke them should not be ruled out. Pain in the heart and under the shoulder blade can be sharp, burning, dull, pulling and pressing. When it appears, attention should be paid to the duration, intensity, change at different positions of the body.
With recoil under the scapula, pain occurs with the following heart diseases:
- Coronary disease, manifested in the form of angina pectoris, occurs due to poor blood supply to the heart muscle. The consequences are myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, which is characterized by paroxysmal pains in the heart that appear during physical exertion and stress, lasting up to 15 minutes. They pass on their own when eliminating the causes that caused them.
- Coronary spasm - heart failure caused by narrowing of the walls of blood vessels, manifests severe pain. Often an attack begins in a supine position.
- Arrhythmia is a failure of the heart rhythm, pain is absent, but they can occur against its background with the appearance of angina pectoris.
- Myocardial infarction - the blood supply to the left ventricle of the heart and the death of the affected area abruptly stop. There is severe sternal pain, shortness of breath, unstable pulse, anxiety and fear. The attack appears suddenly, lasts up to forty minutes, nitroglycerin does not help. Emergency medical assistance is required.
The most dangerous case of pain in the heart and left shoulder blade is a heart attack. As previously mentioned, an attack occurs suddenly, and medications do not help, so the patient must be quickly taken to a medical facility.
Stitching pain in the heart
It is because of this pain that people most often go to the doctor. A tingling sensation in the left side of the chest causes an anxiety state, although this is far from always associated with myocardial diseases. Stitching pain in the heart may result from:
- intercostal neuralgia, pathological changes in the costal cartilage (with these diseases, there is an increase in pain during bending, sharp movements of the hands, turns of the body);
- neurosis;
- curvature of the spine in the thoracic region;
- pinching of the nerve root;
- osteochondrosis (pain increases with coughing, deep breathing, torso twists).
With stitching pains in the region of the heart, it is necessary to identify the reason why they arose. This is most often associated with symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia, indicating disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. People have a feeling of anxiety, headaches, pressure surges, incomprehensible sensations in the heart. And the cause can be a busy rhythm of life and frequent stressful conditions. When tingling in the heart, one should determine: does the pain depend on physical activity, does it intensify with a change in posture, is pain in the heart area felt when inhaling. A positive response to one of the statements suggests that the pain is not related to heart disease. In any case, you need to see a neurologist, and if necessary, he will send a cardiologist for examination.
Heart disease prevention
Preventive measures prevent the development of many heart diseases and help to recover. Such measures include:
- Doing sports. They strengthen the heart and the body as a whole. Physical activity contributes to the combustion of carbohydrates, the saturation of body cells with oxygen. Especially useful for swimming and running.
- Healthy eating For good heart function, frequent small meals are needed without sweet, fatty and fried foods. The menu for convalescing should include pumpkin (contains potassium, vitamin C, strengthens blood vessels, lowers blood pressure), broccoli, pomegranate (strengthens blood vessels, dilutes blood, improves hemoglobin).
- Lack of stress. Do not retire at home, you need to be more often in the fresh air, meet friends, do what you love.
- Quitting bad habits such as smoking and alcohol abuse. Well-being will immediately become better.
- Periodic examinations. Heart diseases are difficult to detect on their own, so once a year it is necessary to take an analysis for biochemistry.
The implementation of such elementary measures will help prevent many diseases and relieve at least obesity when pain in the heart area presses on the chest and prevents breathing.
Diagnosis of heart pain
In order to accurately determine the pain in the heart, an in-depth study should be done. This can be done with:
- electrocardiography - examine the activity of the heart;
- blood biochemistry - evaluate the work of internal organs, establish the need for trace elements, receive information about metabolism;
- echocardiography - examine all changes in the heart and valves;
- electron beam tomography - diagnose all types of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
- MRI - determine the cause of the pain.
When contacting the clinic with complaints of pain in the heart, the patient must visit a cardiologist, neurologist, rheumatologist and gastroenterologist.
Principles for treating pain in the left side of the chest
After the diagnosis is clarified, the doctor proceeds to treat the patient. Therapy of cardialgia, when the pain in the left half of the chest is not associated with damage to the vessels of the heart, is due to the treatment of the underlying disease. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve pain in myocarditis and pericarditis, as well as inflammation of the muscular and nervous systems.
Sedatives are used to treat neurocircular dystonia. Medicines with metabolic effects relieve pain in myocardial dystrophy. Digestive apparatus diseases are treated according to their damage.
Conclusion
In the process of examining a patient with pain in the heart, the most important point is to find out the cause of their appearance. A correctly diagnosed diagnosis is the beginning of recovery. Modern diagnostic equipment allows you to correctly and quickly diagnose using electrocardiography, echocardiography, dopplerography and other methods for research. The "non-cardiac" cause of pain is detected by MRI, ultrasound and radiography. The patient’s conversation with the doctor helps to collect all the information about the pathology, past diseases, which allows you to determine the volume of research, schedule consultations of narrow specialists and choose the course of therapy.