Possible causes of stabbing pain in the heart. Pain on the left side in the heart area

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of mortality: more than half of those who die from natural causes become victims.

Their development is caused by many factors, ranging from congenital pathologies to stress and poor lifestyle. One of the first symptoms is pain in the heart.

However, chest pain does not always mean problems with the heart: problems with the spine, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, and neurological disorders manifest themselves in a similar way.

How does the heart hurt in various diseases, what signs can be used to distinguish cardiac pain from non-cardiac pain, and what to do in case of sudden heart pain?

Heart pain symptoms

The first signs of a serious illness are not always pronounced. In many cases, the heart practically does not bother a person for years, occasionally it hurts or every day reminds of itself with other unpleasant sensations, such as cold, heaviness, a feeling of constriction in the chest.

A visit to a cardiologist to check for serious problems with the cardiovascular system is necessary if you experience the following symptoms:

After physical exertion or during nervous strain in the chest area there is a pulling, pressing or burning sensation, colitis, nausea;
While eating, walking, or laughing, shortness of breath begins that seems unreasonable at first glance;
There is increased fatigue;
Erectile dysfunction in men;
Numbness of the limbs, blue discoloration at the base of the nails;
Snoring and sleep apnea, especially when lying on your back;
Swelling, especially swelling of the feet and hands. In the early stages, they are noticeable only by indirect signs - the shoes begin to pinch, the rings cut into the fingers. But even minor swelling is a very serious symptom, indicating circulatory disorders.

Vasospasm

A visit to a cardiologist, correct diagnosis and timely prescribed therapy can save the patient’s life.

Causes of chest pain related to the heart

Not all pain on the left side of the chest is cardiac.

The most common cardiac causes can be divided into several groups:

Vascular pathologies	Inflammatory diseases	Congenital and autoimmune pathologies
Myocardial infarction;	Pericarditis;
IHD and angina pectoris;	Endocarditis;	Heart defects;
	Myocarditis.	Cardiomyopathy;
TELA.		Arrhythmias of various origins.

Myocardial infarction

A heart attack is one of the most dangerous heart diseases; without urgent medical care, it often leads to the death of the patient.

The cause of a heart attack is an acute circulatory disorder: blockage of a blood vessel with a thrombus or atherosclerotic plaque leads to necrosis of areas of the heart muscle that have lost nutrition. The symptoms are the same in women and men.

Pain during a heart attack is not relieved by nitroglycerin and other medications.

Extensive necrosis of the heart muscle is accompanied by loss of consciousness, blue lips and nails, and breathing problems. In some cases, the discomfort characteristic of myocardial infarction is not accompanied by pain at all.

At the first suspicion of a heart attack, you must call an ambulance as quickly as possible. It is impossible to cope with this condition on your own.

Myocardial infarction

Angina pectoris

Coronary heart disease, or IHD, most often develops in men over 45 years of age, and makes itself felt by attacks of angina caused by spasm or narrowing of the coronary arteries and malnutrition of the heart muscle.

Its popular name, “angina pectoris”, expresses the nature of the pain that manifests itself in an attack - a pressing sensation reminiscent of the weight of a small but massive load.

Patients describe this feeling with the words “the toad is pressing.”

In addition to pain, which, as with a heart attack, often radiates to the neck, lower teeth, and left arm, angina pectoris is manifested by irregular pulses, shortness of breath, weakness, nausea and dizziness, and sudden heavy sweating.

An attack can begin after heavy physical or emotional stress or for no apparent reason - this indicates that the pathological process has gone far enough.

In order to alleviate the patient's condition, it is necessary to provide him with rest and take nitroglycerin.

IHD rarely occurs with normal blood pressure, so long before the onset of attacks, a person may suffer from symptoms of arterial hypertension.

Dissection and rupture of aortic aneurysm

A sharp sharp pain on the left side, so severe that it sometimes leads to loss of consciousness, is one of the main signs of aortic dissection or ruptured aneurysm.

These pathologies often occur against the background of connective tissue dysplasia, in which the heart muscle and large blood vessels are more vulnerable than in healthy people.

If the aorta ruptures due to an aneurysm or dissection of its walls, the patient without urgent medical care may die due to massive internal bleeding.

TELA

Blockage of the pulmonary artery by a thrombus leads to disruption of the lung-heart complex.

This condition is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Nitroglycerin and other heart medications do not help with pulmonary artery thrombosis. Like most other vascular pathologies, this condition is life-threatening.

Inflammatory heart diseases

The development of various types of inflammation is most often caused by streptococcal and staphylococcal infections. They are caused by autoimmune processes, fungal infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, tuberculosis and syphilis.

Inflammatory heart diseases include:

Pericarditis– inflammation of the lining of the heart;
Endocarditis– inflammation of the heart valves;
Myocarditis– the heart muscle is directly affected.

Myocarditis

Symptoms of pericarditis are similar to those of angina. These are pressing, pulling pains in the middle part of the chest, accompanied by shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat and radiating to the neck, arm, shoulder, and lower jaw.

In a sitting position, it is easier for the patient to breathe, and at night during sleep he tries to take a semi-sitting position.

The temperature usually rises to low-grade fever.

Endocarditis is manifested by heart rhythm disturbances, symptoms of heart failure - cyanosis of the skin, swelling of the limbs, face, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, shortness of breath.

Pain due to inflammation of the heart valves remains mild for a long time; the clinical picture does not correspond to the real severity of the patient’s condition. Even with timely treatment, mortality from endocarditis reaches 30%.

With myocarditis, the heart stings or pulls; attacks of pain are not associated with physical or nervous stress. Like other inflammatory diseases, it is accompanied by fever.

Pericarditis

Excessive extensibility of the chords - constrictions of connective tissue to which the “petals” of the heart valve are attached, leads to its prolapse.

Like aortic aneurysm, this pathology is a frequent accompaniment of connective tissue dysplasia.

Pain during prolapse is not associated with physical and nervous overload; it is localized on the left side of the heart area and is aching or squeezing in nature.

Their frequency and strength depend on how severely the heart valve functions are affected.

Heart defects

Most often, congenital heart defects are detected in the maternity hospital and corrected in the first years of the patient’s life.

But some of them give a rather blurred clinical picture, and it is not possible to recognize them immediately.

With age, when body weight and blood volumes increase, the strength of the heart muscle is no longer enough to function properly. Heart defects manifest themselves in a wide variety of symptoms.

Where the pain is localized, how serious the accompanying manifestations are, how often and with what intensity they make themselves felt depends on the general condition of the patient and what kind of heart defect he suffers from. Only a cardiologist can determine an accurate diagnosis.

Cardiomyopathy

Most often, cardiomyopathy is a consequence of autoimmune processes. With it, the blood vessels and valves of the heart remain healthy, and blood pressure does not exceed normal levels, but the heart muscle gradually thickens and loses its elasticity.

The strength, nature of the pain and where they are felt depend on the stage of the disease: with mild cardiomyopathy, the diseased heart reacts with increased heart rate, pressure and tingling to physical activity, with severe cardiomyopathy it hurts almost constantly.

Unpleasant sensations can be localized in any part of the chest and under the heart; nitroglycerin is ineffective against them.

Cardiomyopathy

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias of various kinds most often affect women. Some of them, such as sinus or respiratory arrhythmia, have virtually no effect on health, and the patient may learn about them by chance during a routine ECG. Others, such as atrial fibrillation, often lead to fibrillation and sudden death.

During an attack of arrhythmia, pain is rather a secondary symptom that occurs against the background of cardiac arrhythmia.

It is rarely very strong and does not extend beyond the heart area.

Chest pain of non-cardiac origin

It is quite difficult to distinguish heart pain from other pain; not everyone realizes whether chest pain can occur due to reasons unrelated to the heart.

However, information about exactly how non-cardiological diseases manifest themselves will allow you to understand what hurts even before visiting a doctor.

Osteochondrosis and herniated discs

An attack of thoracic osteochondrosis is easily confused with an attack of angina pectoris. With it, the patient experiences pressing pain that can radiate to the left shoulder and arm.

An attack of pain is accompanied by a feeling of anxiety, fear of death. Most often, an attack is preceded by an unsuccessful fall, or an awkward turn, or intense physical activity.

Pain in the spine is not relieved by nitroglycerin, but, unlike heart pain, it is relieved by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Nise and Ketorol.

With intercostal neuralgia, which most often occurs as one of the complications of herniated intervertebral discs.

Unpleasant sensations in the form of burning, sharp or dull pain, aggravated by breathing, talking, sudden movements, are often localized above or below the heart.

The patient can easily indicate where the source of pain is located and where it gives off. A pronounced reaction to any movement forces him to breathe frequently, shallowly and try not to move his hand on the affected side.

Intercostal neuralgia can be distinguished from heart pain by the absence of accompanying symptoms such as increased or interrupted pulse and difficulty breathing that is not associated with unpleasant sensations.

Heart neurosis

Frequent stress, hormonal disorders, and increased excitability of the nervous system lead to the development of cardioneurosis.

Prolonged aching pain in the area of the apex of the heart, on the left edge of the chest, is accompanied by insomnia, anxiety, and often appears after overwork.

Cardioneurosis often accompanies the onset of menopause. On the ECG, as with coronary heart disease, no changes are visible.

Sedatives and sedatives help relieve pain caused by cardiac neurosis. This condition almost never leads to disruption of the heart muscle and does not threaten the patient’s life.

Lung diseases

Pressing chest pain accompanied by heaviness and shortness of breath, which accompanies diseases of the respiratory system, is almost always accompanied by symptoms such as cough, fever, and noise in the bronchi. Therefore, it is difficult to confuse it with heart pain.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Stomach cramps and burning pain in the chest caused by peptic ulcers or acute gastritis with high acidity, occurring due to many different reasons, are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

In some cases, they are so intense that they resemble the symptoms of a myocardial infarction.

Acute pancreatitis manifests itself in a similar way - inflammation of the pancreas located in the upper left part of the abdominal cavity. It is impossible to stop this life-threatening condition without urgent medical care.

A hiatal hernia is quite easy to recognize. The pain, reminiscent of an angina attack, usually occurs when the patient is in a supine position, and becomes easier as soon as he stands up.

Gallbladder spasms and blockage of the bile ducts with stones also often result in severe pain. Despite the fact that the liver and gall bladder are located on the right, the pain in this case is of a girdling nature and radiates to the second side, to the area of the left hypochondrium.

Nitroglycerin is ineffective for all these diseases. Antispasmodics and agents that reduce the acidity of gastric juice will help relieve unpleasant symptoms.

Article publication date: 02/08/2017

Article updated date: 12/18/2018

From this article you will learn: what diseases can be accompanied by pain in the heart area, whether it is possible to find out from the characteristics of pain how the heart hurts, and how other organs hurt. Why do you need to pay attention to additional symptoms? What to do when heart pain occurs, and which specialist to contact.

The heart is a vital organ, connected to all organs and tissues through a system of blood vessels and nerve plexuses. Therefore, pain in the area of the chest where it is located is always perceived as a signal of cardiac pathology. But it is only 60–70% of such a sign. About 30–40% of pain is of non-cardiac origin and is associated with pathology of other systems.

It is possible to completely stop (relieve) pain in the heart, but this is not enough to get rid of the causative disease of which they are a symptom. In order to solve this problem, you need to contact a specialist who has the greatest knowledge about the origin of heart pain. This could be a cardiologist, internist or family doctor.

Characteristics of pain in cardiac pathology

The heart can hurt in different ways - it presses, stabs, aches, burns, bakes; and with varying strengths - from mild discomfort to intense, pronounced pain. Localization can also be different, but always corresponds to the location of the heart: the sternum area, the left half of the chest and areas located next to it (the left half of the neck, shoulder, scapula, paravertebral and interscapular region).

If it presses

The most common pain that occurs in cardiac pathology is pressing (in 95–99%). It indicates circulatory disorders in the coronary arteries, coronary artery disease and angina pectoris.

Its typical characteristics are:

It is provoked and intensified by any physical activity, experience or psycho-emotional stress.
Localized clearly behind the sternum or to the left of it.
It can radiate to the left arm and shoulder blade.
Accompanied by a feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath and weakness.
It goes away with rest after stopping exercise or taking nitroglycerin.

Similar manifestations are possible with inflammatory damage to the myocardium - myocarditis. Additional criteria given in the table will help to distinguish angina from inflammation.

- a reliable sign of cardiac pathology.

If he bakes

The pain behind the sternum or in the left side of the chest can be sharp and burning. Patients say that their heart hurts, it feels like it’s burning, it’s burning in their chest. Such characteristics of the pain syndrome in 95–99% indicate a particularly dangerous cardiac pathology:

1. Myocardial infarction

It burns behind the sternum and radiates to the left half of the neck, shoulder blade, and shoulder.
It occurs suddenly or after previous pressing pain, more often during physical or psycho-emotional stress.
Accompanied by a drop in blood pressure, sweating, fear of death, and severe shortness of breath.
Symptoms are not relieved by taking painkillers or nitroglycerin.

2. Pulmonary embolism

This is a blockage of the blood vessels of the lungs with blood clots that enter them from the veins of the lower extremities. Based on the characteristics of pain and clinical manifestations, the disease is difficult to distinguish from myocardial infarction (they are almost identical).

3. Dissecting aortic aneurysm

With this pathology, an abnormally dilated section of the largest vessel in the body ruptures, close to the point of exit from the heart.

Burning pain is similar to a heart attack, but:

rarely radiates to the left half of the body;
accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades in the spine;
occurs and intensifies after a previous episode of high blood pressure.

In case of acute burning pain in the heart, first of all you need to think about the most serious illnesses, which can result in death if the patient is not provided with emergency care.

If it stings

Stitching pain is not specific for, but in 20–25% it may indicate them. It can be:

If stabbing sensations are associated with these diseases, they are:

constant and do not depend on the position of the body or certain movements (turning or tilting the body, raising the arm);
may intensify when walking or psycho-emotional stress;
accompanied by general weakness or irritability;
the heartbeat is rapid or the rhythm is disturbed;
may intensify at the height of deep inspiration.

About 80% of stabbing pain in the heart area is a symptom of conditions not associated with cardiac pathology.

If there is aching or discomfort

Aching pain and discomfort in the heart are the most nonspecific types of cardialgia, the characteristics of which cannot be used to determine what they are associated with and what to do about them. They equally often indicate that the heart hurts, as well as diseases of other organs and systems (muscles and nerves, lungs and pleura, stomach and esophagus). Therefore, you cannot focus only on them. The main attention should be paid to the general condition, age of the patient, and other manifestations that are characteristic of cardiac pathology:

increased, slow or interrupted rhythm;
shortness of breath and feeling of lack of air;
swelling in the legs;
pressure changes (increase or decrease).

All these symptoms, combined with aching pain or discomfort in the heart, may indicate any disease: from harmless secondary cardialgia in healthy people against the background of body overload to a painless form of myocardial infarction and. To establish the true cause, you need to do examinations, the scope of which can only be decided by a specialist (cardiologist, therapist, family doctor).

If not the heart, then what?

In general, pain localized in the area where the heart is located - behind the sternum and the anterior surface of the left half of the chest - in 30% of cases does not indicate a pathology of this organ. They can be caused by the lesions described in the table.

Diseased organs and tissues	Diseases and causes of heart pain	Features of pain syndrome: when it occurs and how it proceeds
Spine, ribs, intercostal muscles and nerves	Osteochondrosis	More often it is sharp, stabbing, like a lumbago when turning the body, taking a deep breath, or a constant aching along the ribs on the left from the spine to the sternum.
	Hernia
	Myositis
	Intercostal neuralgia
Lungs and pleura	Left-sided pneumonia	More often it is aching, heaviness or discomfort constantly, but can be severely acute during each breath, accompanied by shortness of breath, cough, high body temperature.
	Left-sided dry and exudative pleurisy
	Injuries
Esophagus and stomach	Diaphragmatic hernia	Aching pain and discomfort behind the sternum, possibly heartburn. Occurs after eating (especially overeating), accompanied by belching, heaviness, and bloating.
	Peptic ulcer
	Reflux esophagitis, erosions and ulcers of the esophagus

Possible causes of heart pain

To understand exactly why pain in the heart occurred, pay attention not only to its nature (sharp, burning, aching, etc.), but also to other existing symptoms. But remember that they are not always interrelated, since they can be combined manifestations of different diseases in one person (for example, pathology of the esophagus and ischemic disease or pleuropneumonia and intercostal neuralgia).

Diagnosis: main signs of cardiac and non-cardiac pain

The table describes the most common criteria and signs by which you can determine whether pain in the heart area is associated with its damage or not. This data will help you understand what to do with a sick person and whether he needs emergency help.

Heart pain	Non-cardiac pain
Behind the sternum or to the left of it along the anterior surface	Dotted in one area of the left half of the chest
Gives to the left arm, neck, shoulder blade	Gives along the ribs on the left, into the spine
Pressing, burning, stabbing	Stitching, aching, shooting
Provoked or aggravated by exercise (walking)	Provoked by sudden turns of the body, deep breathing, eating
More often paroxysmal	Paroxysmal or constant
Decreases at rest	Decreases in a certain body position (motionless on the left side, half-sitting)
Removable (stopped) with nitroglycerin	Does not decrease after nitroglycerin, relieves painkillers
Pressing on the chest does not increase pain	Pressing on the painful point near the spine and along the ribs is painful
Accompanied by symptoms: shortness of breath or shortness of breath; palpitations or irregular heartbeats; high or low pressure; sweating and weakness; violation of the general condition.	Possible additional symptoms: curvature and crunch of the spine; cough and fever; heartburn, feeling of sourness in the mouth; belching, abdominal discomfort; general condition is rarely disturbed.

What to do, how to help

If the cause of the pain is unknown to you

If you cannot determine what is causing the pain in the heart, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, do the following:

Don't panic, calm down, don't be nervous, breathe smoothly and shallowly.
Physical rest - it’s better to lie down or sit down so that your torso is slightly elevated, or, as a last resort, just stand if you feel that you won’t fall.
Access to fresh air - on the street, simply unfasten the top buttons or tie, which can squeeze the neck and chest; indoors, additionally open a window, window or door.
If possible, measure your heart rate and blood pressure. If the pulse is above 90–95 or less than 55–60 per minute, and the pressure is above 140/90 mm Hg. Art. or below 100/60 (more or less than the numbers you are used to) - call an ambulance (telephone 103), as there is a high probability of serious heart disease.
If the pain does not decrease after a few minutes, take a painkiller (Ketanov, Panadol, Imet, Diclofenac) in combination with Aspirin or chew and place Aspirin only under the tongue.
If after 15-20 minutes the pain in the heart does not go away or gets worse, this may indicate a heart attack - call an ambulance. This can be done when it first arises, if the pain is burning, severe, accompanied by shortness of breath, pallor and sweating of the skin, a feeling of fear of death, high or low blood pressure.

If you have any cardiac or non-cardiac pain in the chest, you should never take Citramon, Copacil or other drugs containing caffeine!

If you know the cause of the pain

If you know the probable or exact cause of pain in the heart, in addition to the main measures, you need to do the following:

For angina pectoris:

take Nitroglycerin under the tongue;
chew Cardiomagnyl or another drug containing acetylsalicylic acid;
with normal or elevated blood pressure and pulse, you can take beta blockers (Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Nebival);
pain persisting for more than 30 minutes is a reason to call an ambulance;
If the pain goes away, contact a cardiologist, general practitioner or family doctor.

For myocarditis and pericarditis, all that can be done at the first stage of help is to take a pain reliever. Be sure to contact a cardiologist, the sooner the better.
If you have intercostal neuralgia, osteochondrosis or other problems with the spine, take painkillers (Analgin, Diclofenac, Dolaren, Nimid) and consult a neurologist.
If you have problems with the stomach and esophagus, stick to a diet; if you have pain, you can take Omez, Famotidine, Maalox, Motorix, Motilium. For specialized help, contact a gastroenterologist.

Pain in the heart area is a symptom of diseases not only of the heart. Whenever it appears, first of all it is necessary to exclude its pathology (this condition is the most dangerous and more often than others requires emergency medical care).

Often people confuse chest pain on the left side with the heart and that which is a harbinger of other problems in the body, for example, compression of a nerve in the spine. However, the simulation of non-cardiogenic cardiac pain is entirely plausible. You need to consult with both a neurologist and a cardiologist to find the reason why your heart aches.

Non-cardiogenic pain

In medical practice, any pain in the heart is usually called cardialgia. They can be aching, dull in nature, and there are sharp and strong ones. A person usually reacts immediately to the latter and goes to see a doctor. But when your heart just aches for a long time, everyone blames it on fatigue. And this is fraught with consequences.

Non-cardiogenic aching pain in the heart can be due to several reasons:

heart neurosis;
advanced osteochondrosis;
VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia);
extrasystoles.

Suspicions of extrasystoles (violation of the rhythm of contraction) arise if the patient says that he has pressure in his chest, there are sensations of heart stopping, and at the same time there are difficulties with swallowing.

How to recognize these conditions? Is it life-threatening when your heart aches? A qualified cardiologist must recognize the exact cause of chest discomfort and pain.

Pain due to osteochondrosis

When examining a patient who complains of chest pain on the left side, the doctor should do tests. After all, the sensations with angina pectoris are almost the same, sometimes there is innervation of pain in the left arm, but the attack lasts only 3 to 5 minutes.

As a diagnostic, experts suggest checking:

By throwing back the head and moving the bent arms first back and then up, a person with problems in the thoracic spine will immediately feel pain in the chest.
Nitroglycerin promotes vasodilation, therefore it is used to relieve an attack of angina. After taking nitroglycerin tablets or drops, the pain goes away within 5-10 minutes. And if not, then the pain is not cardiac.

The chest contains many interconnected nerve plexuses that are innervated when stimulated. Therefore, pain due to the spine is quite obvious. With osteochondrosis, discomfort usually increases with turns, sudden movements or when inhaling. But there is no danger to life. Heart pain manifests itself differently: it does not depend on body position.

Psychogenic factors

Chest pain on the left side caused by severe and prolonged stress is called cardiac neurosis. During diagnosis, the cardiologist does not detect any abnormalities in the functioning of this organ. However, piercing or aching pains do not stop attacking the person. They are unpredictable in nature. Some people report feeling as if something is pressing in their chest, others notice that the pain is sharp. All sensations are very subjective. And the pain is transmitted either to the limbs or to the back.

In such cases, it is necessary to consult a psychotherapist who deals specifically with neuroses and knows the symptoms of psychosomatic disorders. Along with pain, the following may be observed: asthenia, temperature drop below 36 ° C, numbness of the limbs and headaches.

Vegetovascular dystonia

The disease is also characterized by dull and aching pain, as is the case with angina pectoris. The main symptom encountered in all patients with VSD is complaints that the heart is aching and the left arm is numb. Sometimes there is a tingling sensation in the hand. The pain is accompanied by tremors of the limbs and constant fatigue.

Often such patients have sleep problems and many other associated symptoms. How to help yourself during such attacks? Doctors recommend taking valocardine (50 drops) and resting. In fact, VSD is just as serious a disease and requires treatment from a neuropsychiatrist.

Cardiogenic pain

Let's consider the etiology of cardiogenic pain. They are caused specifically by heart disease. These include several groups of ailments:

Myocardial dystrophy is a metabolic disorder of the heart muscle. At the beginning of the disease, a person feels that for unknown reasons the heart is aching; at first the pain is barely noticeable, but over time it increases. And if you do not consult a doctor at the initial stage, the pain will become sharp and severe.
Heart defects.
Coronary artery disease is a circulatory disorder in the heart artery.
Aortic aneurysm. Other.

Cause-and-effect relationships are of more interest to doctors. How to cope with pain - this question worries a person more if he feels that his heart is aching again. What to do - call a doctor or take valerian? The doctor is called when the most serious heart ailments are present - ischemia, a serious attack of angina or an aneurysm. If you don’t know how these diseases manifest themselves, or your heart suddenly aches for no reason, although this has never happened before, it’s better to play it safe and call an ambulance.

Features of cardiac ischemia

This is a common disease, the main symptom of the disease is chest pain on the left side. Coronary artery disease usually develops much faster in women than in men. The main reason is the narrowing of the lumen in the coronary artery, through which the heart receives new blood.

The development of the disease is paroxysmal. At times the pain subsides, then increases with renewed vigor during the period of exacerbation. Minor disorders are manifested by rapid fatigue after any physical activity, a person feels: his heart aches. And if you listen to your heartbeat, it will be rapid even in a calm state. Ischemia can be determined by these signs:

sweating increased;
weakness;
dyspnea;
aching pain in the heart can radiate to the left arm.

If a doctor does not examine your heart in time and tell you how to treat your heart, the risk of a heart attack increases many times over. After all, a heart attack is nothing more than a complete cessation of blood flow to the heart due to blockage of blood vessels.

Sometimes physical activity disproportionate to the capabilities of the heart leads to metabolic disorders in it. This is also one of the factors that increases the risk of myocardial infarction.

Aortic aneurysm

Increased pressure and atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels lead over time to an aneurysm. An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement of a section of a vessel. Slow dissection of the walls of the aorta with blood threatens that the wall will not withstand the pressure and will rupture. Then the person needs urgent surgery on the aorta.

Pain from an aneurysm occurs behind the sternum and radiates to the back. It is not stabbing, but dull, and lasts a long time. Other symptoms include shortness of breath and difficulty swallowing. If the wall begins to tear, then the pain is severe, piercing. The patient faints and doctors need to be called urgently.

Treatment of cardialgia

It depends on the diagnosis. And any heart disease can be diagnosed only after several studies. When the cause of pain is VSD or intercostal neuralgia, a cardiologist will not help. As for cardiac problems, here, depending on the patient’s condition, the doctor may prescribe medication. But any therapy must be accompanied by a transition to proper nutrition. Otherwise, treatment with pills will be useless.

Serious changes in the vessels of the heart during ischemia cannot be corrected with medications. When coronography confirms blockage of blood vessels, surgery is prescribed. The essence of the operation is to restore normal blood flow using stenting or coronary angioplasty.

These modern treatment methods completely eliminate the risk of complications during surgery. Tissue damage is minimal. After surgery, it is advisable to conduct another study to ensure the effectiveness of stenting.

Chest pain can occur for various reasons; they do not always indicate diseases of the heart muscle. Sometimes only a doctor can determine the exact cause of discomfort in the area of the heart and lungs after a complete examination. It is worth knowing if your heart hurts, what symptoms may indicate the development of the disease, what you should pay attention to, what the nature of the pain may be in diseases of other organs.

One of the main difficulties in diagnosing many diseases is that pain often begins in a place other than where the source of pain is located. With diseases of many organs, pain may radiate to the heart area, while there may not be any pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Moreover, in some cases, pain in the chest is not a dangerous condition indicating any disease. Painful sensations can arise due to a person’s psychological state or be a temporary phenomenon, for example, due to physical activity.

Pain in the sternum area can be completely different in nature. There are both sharp sensations that literally numb and prevent you from taking a deep breath, as well as “dull” pain that does not interfere with daily activities, but causes discomfort and anxiety.

To understand what could really trigger the pain and immediately contact a suitable doctor and choose treatment, you should pay attention to the nature of the pain and accompanying symptoms.

Important! Before starting treatment, you should always undergo an examination; in this case, during self-diagnosis, there is a high probability of error.

How to find out what exactly hurts your heart

First of all, it is worth considering the main symptoms of pain associated specifically with the heart muscle and cardiovascular system. Contrary to misconceptions, pain in the sternum due to heart disease is not the most common cause of these sensations. The most common diseases of the circulatory system that lead to these symptoms should be considered.

Angina pectoris

During an attack of this disease, painful sensations arise precisely in the area of the heart muscle: on the left side, behind the sternum. Angina pectoris is a common disease, pain during an attack usually has the following character:

painful sensations are always “dull”, accompanied by a feeling of squeezing, compression;
pain can spread under the shoulder blades, in the jaw, in the left arm;
a feeling of discomfort occurs after emotional stress, physical activity, after a heavy meal, at night.

It is also worth noting that the pain does not depend on the position of the person’s body; the attack usually lasts up to twenty minutes. In addition to discomfort in the heart area, a feeling of panic, dizziness, and difficulty breathing may occur. Immediately after the attack subsides, the remaining symptoms disappear.

Pain of the same nature occurs with inflammatory diseases of the heart muscle. However, it must be taken into account that inflammation in the body is almost always accompanied by an increase in temperature, therefore, with an inflammatory process in the heart, the patient usually has a high temperature. Also, with inflammation, the joints swell and a cough occurs.

During a heart attack, the pain is much more intense, it is sharp, the person feels a burning sensation and heaviness in the heart. During myocardial infarction it is impossible to lie down; the patient always tries to take a sitting position, breathing becomes more frequent and becomes difficult.

During a heart attack, the pain intensifies with sudden, careless movements, unlike angina pectoris. These sensations cannot be relieved with conventional medications; in this condition, it is advisable to immediately call an ambulance.

Aortic aneurysm

With an aortic aneurysm, the pain intensifies with physical activity and is usually localized in the upper part of the sternum. With a dissecting aneurysm, the pain becomes bursting in nature, and this disease is extremely painful. Urgent assistance from a specialist is required.

In general, with most heart diseases, pain intensifies quite quickly; in various conditions, it is mainly present as if behind the sternum, always on the left side. Discomfort in heart disease often “radiates” to other organs, usually along the left side of the body.

Most often the pain radiates to the left arm. It is also worth considering that with heart disease, the pulse often goes astray, blood pressure increases or decreases for no apparent reason: stress or physical exertion. In this case, emotional or physical stress can increase pain.

In case of acute, sharp pain, difficulty breathing and heartbeat, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. During an attack, it is advisable to immediately call an ambulance; doctors should see whether hospitalization is required and tell what medicine needs to be taken to eliminate the attack.

Important! A single attack does not mean that the disease will no longer bother you. After relieving heart pain, you should visit a cardiologist as soon as possible and undergo a full examination.

Other causes of pain in the heart area

Discomfort and unpleasant sensations in the sternum are not always a consequence of heart problems. Especially if symptoms appear in young people who have never encountered diseases of the circulatory system. In this case, you should pay attention to signs of other possible diseases not related to heart function.

Osteochondrosis

The cause of discomfort in the chest may be symptoms of osteochondrosis. With this disease, compression of the nerve endings in different parts of the spine and blood vessels occurs, and in severe cases, pressure is exerted on the lungs. As a result, pain occurs in the sternum.

With osteochondrosis, the pain radiates to the back, under the shoulder blade; they are usually dull in nature and accompanied by a feeling of numbness. Also with this disease there is usually a headache and dizziness, especially when changing position. Osteochondrosis causes many autonomic symptoms, especially as the disease progresses.

Important! With osteochondrosis, sensations similar to those experienced during a panic attack may occur.

In many diseases of the digestive system, pain can radiate to the left half of the body and sternum, this especially often occurs in diseases of the stomach, liver, and pancreas. The pain is usually dull, with a slight sensation of pressure.

Typically, pain in the heart area is accompanied by other symptoms. There is heaviness and pain in the abdomen, especially in the right hypochondrium with pancreatitis, peritonitis, and liver diseases. Acute conditions are accompanied by digestive disorders, nausea, vomiting, and stool disorders. During inflammatory processes, the temperature rises.

In case of these diseases, you should urgently consult a doctor. However, in some cases, the feeling of pain in the heart can be provoked by severe heartburn or overeating, in which case the person’s condition is not so dangerous. Although, if you have frequent heartburn, it is advisable to consult a gastroenterologist, since it can be a symptom of gastritis.

Psychosomatics

Another cause of heart pain is psychological problems. In this case, the person really experiences discomfort, but during the examination no problems in the functioning of the organs are observed.

The feeling of pain in the chest is often observed with strong emotional tension, stress, and panic attacks. With this condition, breathing difficulties, a strong, sometimes causeless feeling of fear, increased sweating, and a feeling of derealization occur.

If discomfort in the sternum occurs for psychological reasons, it will go away as the person’s emotional state improves. Psychosomatic symptoms are more common in women than in men.

It is worth noting that if stress is constant, a disease called cardiac neurosis develops. To get rid of it, they recommend psychotherapy, rest from worries, and sometimes taking antidepressants and sedatives. Indeed, sometimes the heart hurts “from nerves.” Sometimes constant stress can trigger the development of real diseases of the heart muscle, but this is not the main factor; it usually takes years for the disease to develop.

A child has heart pain: what are the symptoms?

If a child develops any cardiac pathology, the first signs can be noticed from the outside. A child with heart problems begins to get tired faster, it is harder for him to do lessons or any other activity that requires serious emotional and physical effort.

Signs of heart disease in a child are a bad sign; in childhood, the body and cardiovascular system are fully formed. It is at this age that there is a high probability of developing severe pathology; if there are signs of the disease, you should definitely consult a cardiologist.

What to do

First of all, you should not immediately panic, if the painful sensations are not acute, there is no threat to life, you should make an appointment with a therapist or cardiologist if you are sure that the problem is in the heart. At the appointment, you should describe the nature of the pain and accompanying symptoms, then the doctor should send you for examination.

An ECG must be done and a general blood test taken. If osteochondrosis is suspected, an x-ray of the cervical spine is required. If there is a possibility that the pain is caused by digestive problems, you need an examination by a gastroenterologist, ultrasound of the liver, pancreas, and other organs.

In each individual case, the list of necessary studies will be different, it all depends on the symptoms present and information about already diagnosed diseases.

Treatment depends on the cause of the discomfort. In some cases, therapy is not needed at all if the painful sensations are provoked by a one-time stressful situation. However, there are several medications that can help relieve anxiety during emotional stress or while waiting for an ambulance with what is likely to be a serious heart condition.

First of all, sedatives of natural origin are acceptable: based on motherwort, valerian, and other medicinal herbs. Also, if there are no contraindications, you can try to relieve pain due to heart disease with nitroglycerin.

For osteochondrosis, you can take painkillers. The most effective for this disease are Diclofenac, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen. After some time, the pain should subside.

To ensure that pain does not occur again, it is imperative to establish its exact cause and begin treatment. It is worth remembering that for most diseases that cause this symptom, self-medication is unacceptable, otherwise you can worsen their course.

Pain near the heart is considered the most popular symptom and in prevalence can only be compared with headaches. But not all pain that is described as cardiac, in fact, is so.

For example, the sternum has a mass of nerve fibers and certain large plexuses, during irritation of which pains similar to heart pain occur. Direct pain near the heart is sometimes the main complaint in the process of various ailments.

Pain near the heart is a symptom of failures of the central nervous system, respiratory and digestive systems. Pain is often perceived as a heart pathology. At a young age, pain in the heart area is a symptom of various health difficulties: osteochondrosis, neuralgia, pleurisy.

Dull pain in the heart

It is not clear in all cases that this is a symptom of pathological processes in the heart. Only professional diagnostics determines that dull pain will not be a consequence of diseases of the spine, pleura, or lungs.

The causes of dull pain are:

mitral valve disease;
myocarditis;
cardiopsychoneurosis.

The pathology of pain is associated with the heart, this is evidenced by its constant manifestation and duration. Often before this, the patient is engaged in active physical activity, experiences stress, suffers from hypothermia, or has consumed an excessive amount of food.

Acute pain in the heart

Acute pain, which is particularly sharp, often occurs during pericarditis, angina, and is a harbinger of a heart attack. Additional symptoms include general lethargy and malaise. Symptoms in women are supplemented by severe nausea, and pain is reflected in the upper abdomen.

Sharp pain is quite difficult to distinguish from symptoms of pleurisy. At the same time, during an attack of pain, a cough appears. It can also be provoked by pulmonary embolism, dissection of an aortic aneurysm.

Burning pain in the heart area

A burning sensation can be a sign of neurosis, disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract, pathological processes of the esophagus and heart attack. To make an accurate determination, it is necessary to focus on general symptoms.

Pain when inhaling in the region of the heart

Many people often stop suddenly due to sharp pain in the chest when trying to take a deep breath. This also happens at a young age. People often feel as if something in their chest might rupture.
Herpetic or intercostal neuralgia often manifests itself in the same way., thoracalgia, precordial syndrome, which do not affect the functioning of the heart.
When during a deep breath shortness of breath begins and further deep breathing is impossible, general symptoms of heart disease appear, then, most likely, urgent help from a specialist is needed.

Pain in the heart radiates to the arm

Sometimes this is how ischemia manifests itself. The pain varies in nature: squeezing, stabbing. In certain situations, patients may notice a sensation under the armpit. The heart rate may increase, blood pressure may increase, rhythm disturbances, etc.

Pain when moving

Pathological processes in the heart very often appear during physical activity, for example, while climbing stairs or while walking quickly on level ground. This is how ischemia manifests itself predominantly.

Together with the unpleasant sensation, shortness of breath and disruptions in the functioning of the heart occur (a feeling that the heart may stop).

What to do if you have heart pain, first aid

People are often frightened by sudden pain in the heart area.

Necessary actions in this case:

Stop panicking, stay calm, take a sitting or lying position.
Loosen clothes to allow free breathing and allow access to oxygen.
1 tablet of nitroglycerin sublingually for 15 minutes will relieve pain.
If nitroglycerin does not help, you need to call an ambulance - most likely, a myocardial infarction is occurring.
If the pain started for the first time, you should not self-diagnose. The difficulty may not lie in cardiac pathology. If in doubt, you need to take Corvalol, Validol, take a comfortable position, lying or sitting, and try to keep movements to a minimum.

REVIEW FROM OUR READER!

The examination process includes many stages and consists of the following procedures:

Consultation with a doctor. A cardiologist who specializes in heart disease can give advice about discomfort in the heart area. The specialist asks the patient, performs an examination and listens to the heart rhythm for the presence of a murmur. The initial examination also includes percussion (the heart is tapped).
This method helps determine the size and boundaries of the heart. If the specialist has suspicions, he sends the patient for further diagnostics.
ECG. An electrocardiogram is performed in local hospitals; a similar diagnostic method has been used for a long time. A functional examination will show the heart rate during a period of rest. Typically the process takes up to 15 minutes.
The study may reveal:
- Regularity of rhythm.
- The work of the heart muscle.
- Heart rate.
- ECG helps detect coronary heart disease, rhythm disturbances and tachycardia.
Holter monitoring. When the electrocardiogram is unable to show interruptions, but the patient still complains of pain near the heart, a similar research method is prescribed.
Monitoring is carried out over three days. A special portable device is used, its electrodes are applied and secured to the patient's chest.
The patient may not be present in the hospital for the entire test, but the purpose of the test is to test heart function under a variety of conditions. This method makes it possible to prevent a heart attack.
-test. A method that is generally similar to a conventional electrocardiogram, but the patient is examined while running, on the track. This method determines the degree of tolerance of physical activity by the heart and determines possible pathological processes of the cardiovascular system. The study will detect interruptions in rhythm and ischemia.
This method is used to obtain the results of coronary bypass surgery after a heart attack and angioplasty.
Ultrasound examination of the heart. Allows you to assess the condition of the heart and determine the degree of its ability to pump blood.
Diagnostics contributes accurate determination of the thickness of the heart walls, the size and condition of the valves, and chamber cavities. Internal formations are identified and information is obtained about the amount of blood flow in the large vessels of the heart.

Treatment

Pain near the heart in women, radiating to the left arm are a rather serious symptom that requires timely surgery. Therapy for the patient depends on the initial diagnosis and the specific disease. When the diagnosis is made, an experienced specialist will tell you why the patient’s left arm is numb and prescribe appropriate therapy.
In some cases, to completely forget about pain near the heart you need to take a course of conventional medications to strengthen and improve the function of the main muscle. In other situations, surgical intervention is required, after which the sensations in the left arm and heart will disappear.
It must be said that when pain lasts more than 5 minutes, this may indicate symptoms of angina pectoris, therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor. When sharp pain lasts more than half an hour, there is a possibility of myocardial infarction.

Complications

Complications and dangerous consequences of pain in women vary depending on the factors that caused them:

Some diseases are characterized favorable course, for example, neurocirculatory dystonia (interruptions in the central nervous system occur) or osteochondrosis (destruction of the intervertebral discs begins, and nearby nerves are compressed).
Other diseases, detected at the wrong time, significantly reduce the quality of life and reduce its duration.
For example:
- formations of the mediastinum and lungs cause difficulty breathing and hemorrhages in the chest;
- myocarditis (inflammation in the heart muscle) leads to disturbances in the heart rhythm and heart failure;
- stomach ulcer (defects form in the walls of the stomach) complicated by ulcerative bleeding or malignancy (transition to cancer).

The main requirement is to lead an active lifestyle.