One should never take any ailment lightly, especially if it can be related to your heart. One of the diseases that often get ignored by people is chest pain. The reason behind this is that people usually think that acid reflux has caused it but not many are aware that chest pain can also be a symptom of heart attack. To know whether the chest pain you are facing is a symptom of something serious or not read out all the causes and signs here.
No doubt, it could be but not necessarily. There are many other factors that can cause chest pain including problems in digestion or respiratory system. What most people don't realize is that the chest pain can be caused by panic attacks also.
As mentioned earlier there are a number of factors that cause chest pain. Even if the chest pain is not strong and persistent that keeps on coming and going in an interval of time, one should not ignore that, as the chest pain that is caused by heart attack gets better and comes back after a short while. To have a clearer understanding, one can look for other symptoms that heart attack has. Possible causes are explained on next slides.
Well, one can not diagnose chest pain on their own. If one is having chest pain he/she should immediately consult a doctor. Usually, pains that span a week or a month are not that serious. The root cause of it could be muscles or skeletal structure. Other causes include......
This is the most common cause of chest pain. When one has Gastrointestinal problems, he/she feels the pain in the chest or area around the ribs. The gastrointestinal disease impacts gastrointestinal tract that includes all the procedure that begins with eating and ends with expelling the waste. The organs involved are esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum. Naturally, the gastrointestinal tract having so many organs involved is vulnerable to many diseases that can result into chest pain. The prominent of them are......
Acid Reflux or heartburn as the name suggests develops a burning sensation in the lower chest. The pain gets generated when esophagus gets filled with the acidic content of stomach. It is felt only after having the food. It is not a serious concern and goes away after a while.
Gallstones occur when the digestive fluids get accumulated into solid in the gallbladder. The disease causes profound and sudden pain in the upper right part of the abdomen along with vomiting that can go on for many hours. One point to note is that the pain can disappear and return after a while. Gallstones that do not show any symptoms are not severe but those that ache a lot should surely be checked by a doctor.
One reason for burning sensation in the stomach area is Ulcer. It develops when acid destroys the stomach tissue. Other symptoms include burping, weight loss, bloating, nausea, etc. The pain is intermittent.
Apart from gastrointestinal problems, there are more factors that give way to chest pain.
Yes, the muscle pain too can be a reason for chest pain. Muscle ache can be the result of any injury, tension or chronic pain syndrome. The intensity of muscle pain varies depending on the cause of it. In terms of intensity, it could be dull or sharp. It may be expanding or limited in one spot. You can identify if your chest pain is due to the muscle pain if it gets subsided with the massage or deteriorates on inhaling or exhaling sharply.
Panic attack as the name suggests is about getting filled with sudden and intense nervousness or anxiety. The person struck with panic attack experiences strong pain that is very much like a heart attack. A panic attack can linger on for two minutes or can stretch up to 30 minutes. Those who get those attacks feel as if they are dying. If the pain does not ease it becomes difficult to differentiate between the two.
Respiratory infection can be a cause too. The respiratory infection in humans is usually followed by pleurisy- burning of pleura that covers the outer of the lungs. The pain can be accompanied by constant coughing. One who has this disease should seek advice from doctors.
One of the key symptoms of Angina includes pain in the chest. It occurs when the heart fails to gather enough blood to perform. One with this disease feels either squeezing, tension or pressure in the chest. In severe cases, pain can reach up to the jaw. The negligence of this disease can prove fatal as it is also a symptom of coronary heart disease that happens when arteries get blocked.
Complications in lungs are also responsible for the chest pain. If the patient is pneumonia-stricken or has an infection in lungs should consider this factor as a reason for chest pain. Diseases affecting lungs should be addressed immediately.
Mastitis occurs when an infection develops in breast tissue. It is not only intensely painful but also leads to swelling. The victim suffers sharp pain along with fever. Commonly, it occurs during breastfeeding days. Usually, it does not require medical treatment as it fades on its own but in some cases, the person has to take antibiotics.
This is one of the least heard diseases that are very life-threatening. It develops when there is a blocking in a blood vessel that goes up to lungs. The chest pain is profound and breathing gets difficult resulting in shortness of it.
A heart attack occurs when the heart muscles are damaged and blood fails to reach heart owing to blockages in the veins. Along with intense chest pain, some of the other symptoms include shortness of breath, pain in the middle of the chest, pressure, prolonged pain, aching shoulders and many more. People who have heart diseases, diabetes, or obesity running in their family should stay cautious as they are most vulnerable to this.
Point worth a notice is that the symptoms can vary depending on the sex. Unlike men, women suffer from a headache, difficulty in breathing, and nausea minus pain.
The best way to find out the reason behind chest pain is to seek medical aid. If you are still confused whether your chest pain is heart-related or not then go through these factors that are majorly responsible for heart attack. Shortness of breath, pain getting worse with time, heredity heart diseases, cardiovascular risk factors- to name a few.
One should not take the pain easily especially the recurring one. Seek immediate medical advice if the pain gets intense with the time or brings dizziness, the problem in breathing, prolonging for more than few minutes.
Chest pain in Myocarditis is mild. This disease is usually following a viral infection that causes inflammation of heart muscle. The patient feels pressure on the chest, faces shortness of breath. Other symptoms include leg swelling and rapid heart beating. myocarditis affects 1.5 million lives in a year around a globe. If you suspect it could be the reason behind your chest pain, immediately seek medical help.
Women can face chest pain while breastfeeding. In this case, pain covers the area of chest and surrounding of breasts. Initially, the pain occurs in nipple as the body begins to get adapted to breastfeeding. The other factor could be let-down reflex, development in the size of breasts, and mastitis.