Alarm call. Six nuances of heartache. Pain in the heart: nature, causes, treatment

Many people often attribute heart problems, but this is not always the case. Often, some diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems, the musculoskeletal system, various injuries and neurological disorders manifest themselves in this way.

How to understand that it is the heart that hurts?

Heart pains are distinguished by a wide variety of types, symptoms and causes of their origin. In the chest, it can press, prick, burn, whine, and so on - any such sensation can be easily attributed precisely to pain in the heart. Discomfort in the region of the heart can spontaneously arise and stop, its duration is quite indefinite - it all depends on the cause. The exact localization of this type of sensation can rarely be named. To understand that it is the heart that hurts, without passing special examinations, will not work. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

The most likely signs for pain in the heart are pain that radiates to another part of the body and discomfort in the chest in the form of tightness.

If you experience pain in the chest, you should remember the recent well-being - the first signs of a violation of the cardiovascular system usually appear much earlier before the first heart attack. By paying attention to them in time and taking the necessary measures, it is possible to prevent the serious development of most heart diseases.

Early signs include:

• Pain behind the ribs. Such pain can be given to the back, neck, arm, lower jaw. In most cases, the left side of the body is affected. These sensations are often accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, and excessive sweating.
• Feeling of discomfort. Discomfort in this case disappears after a good rest or taking nitroglycerin.
• Shortness of breath appears. With problems with the heart, even small physical exertion can cause it. Such severe fatigue from everyday activities can appear much earlier than more serious symptoms.
• Frequent pauses in breathing during sleep, loud snoring. Read more about pain in the heart at night.
• Puffiness. Initially, swelling is difficult to notice, but over time they increase. It becomes more difficult for a person to put on shoes, remove rings.

To determine the exact cause of the pain, you need to undergo an examination that is prescribed by a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon. Mandatory for such problems will be an electrocardiogram (ECG), which can be performed both at rest and with additional physical activity, sometimes an ECG recording can be performed throughout the day to monitor readings. Murmurs in the heart are determined using phonocardiography. Echocardiography is used to study the condition of the valves, muscles of the heart and the speed of blood movement in it, it is carried out by ultrasonic waves. Coronary arteries are examined by coronary angiography, and insufficient blood supply to the heart is detected by myocardial scintigraphy.

Pain that is not related to the heart is examined by radiography, and consultations with a neurologist and orthopedist are often resorted to. You may also need to visit other doctors, depending on the identified cause of heart pain.

Symptoms of heart pain depending on the disease

Discomfort in the chest area associated with heart disease can appear for a variety of reasons.

Depending on the nature of the pain, its prevalence, intensity, connection with external factors and characteristics of irradiation, it is possible to more accurately talk about what disease it is caused by.

It is worth highlighting the main cardiological diseases and their characteristic symptoms:

• Heart disease. It happens acquired and congenital. For a long time, it may not manifest itself in any way. Sometimes there are pain sensations in the heart, which are cutting, stabbing or aching. The patient in this case often
• infarction and. A heart attack is characterized by a sharp pressing pain that radiates to the left side of the back and chest. Often accompanied by the emergence of fear of death in the patient. Breathing quickens. Conventional remedies for pain in the heart will not help here, and movements can increase pain. Read more about how to recognize a heart attack by pain in the heart, read.
• . With it, a rather weak aching or stabbing pain occurs, radiating to the left shoulder or neck. Physical activity will increase such pain, nitroglycerin is useless.
• . Most people with this pathology have pain sensations that change with the development of the disease. At first, the pain is prolonged, does not depend on physical exertion, nitroglycerin is not effective for it. Then the pain syndrome begins to occur spontaneously or after physical effort, but here taking nitroglycerin already has an effect. Localization of pain is different, often sensations spread over a large area.
• Dissecting aortic aneurysm. It is characterized by a sharp, extremely strong pain syndrome in the chest area. The degree of pain can be so severe that it leads to loss of consciousness. Urgent medical attention required.
• . With this pathology, dull pain is observed, the sternum squeezes, compresses. Such pain usually radiates to the jaw, left arm, neck, shoulder blades. It manifests itself most often after emotional upheavals, physical overstrain, temperature changes. It can last either a couple of seconds or a couple of tens of minutes. With an attack of angina pectoris, the patient has a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness, a sense of fear. Reception of nitroglycerin well stops the attack. Body position does not affect the level and frequency of pain.
• Pulmonary embolism. It is characterized by severe chest pain in the early stages. When inhaling, it intensifies, the pain is similar to angina pectoris, but without irradiation. Painkillers don't work. A person's heart begins to beat faster, he suffocates, blood pressure drops sharply, the skin turns blue. Urgent medical attention is needed.
• . There are several types of this pathology, which are characterized by various changes in the heart rhythm. For most of them, the unifying symptom is.
• . The most common symptom of this inflammatory process is considered to be dull pain in the region of the heart. The central part of the chest is most often the place of localization of pain, sometimes the return of pain to the neck, arm, back is also characteristic. Coughing and swallowing increase the discomfort. In the supine position, the patient's condition is aggravated, the sitting position is considered the most optimal. There is a rapid heartbeat.
• Ischemia. The most common manifestation of coronary heart disease is an attack of angina pectoris. Physical overstrain often causes an exacerbation of coronary disease; at rest, a person's well-being improves.
• Valve disease. The main symptoms of such pathologies include: weakness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness, and heart failure. Asymptomatic development of these diseases is also possible. Often they cause heart failure, which causes swelling in the legs, bloating, and obesity.

Not all pain sensations in the region of the heart are associated with it, sometimes they can be a symptom of diseases and injuries that are completely independent of the work of the cardiovascular system. The most common of these include:

• Intercostal neuralgia. Quite often mistaken for heart pain. Similar to the sensations of angina pectoris with some differences. Intercostal neuralgia is characterized by sharp pain, aggravated by various movements, including the process of breathing, coughing, swallowing. May last indefinitely. Localization point, between the ribs, often extends to the back.
• Osteochondrosis. For thoracic osteochondrosis, pain is characteristic, radiating to the back, upper abdomen. Discomfort increases with any movement. Sometimes there is a feeling of numbness of the left arm and interscapular region. Like intercostal neuralgia, pain in osteochondrosis is often attributed to angina pectoris. It is easy to distinguish them by taking nitroglycerin - it does not help with osteochondrosis and neuralgia. Read more about how to distinguish pain in thoracic osteochondrosis from pain in angina pectoris -.
• Diseases of the digestive system. Quite often, the cause of pain in the chest is muscle spasms of the walls of the stomach. They are characterized by heartburn, nausea, vomiting. This condition usually drags on for a longer time than standard heart pain. There is a direct dependence of pain on food intake, it can appear on an empty stomach, and disappear after saturation. In the acute form of pancreatitis, there are quite severe pains that are similar to the pre-infarction state. Spasm of the gallbladder can sometimes be mistaken for pain in the heart - in this case, pain often radiates to the chest area, where the heart is located. A hernia of the esophagus is also quite similar in pain to angina pectoris, most often it manifests itself during sleep. Changing the position of the human body to a vertical one with such a hernia improves well-being.
• Disorders of the central nervous system. Pathologies of this type are characterized by prolonged chest pain on the left. Symptoms in this condition are expressed in constant aching pains, which are periodically sharp. Sleep disturbances, increased anxiety, irritability and other problems of the vegetative plan are characteristic of neuroses. On the electrocardiogram, neuroses of this type are difficult to distinguish from coronary heart disease.

What to do?

If pain occurs in the region of the heart, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible, otherwise a possible disease may develop before serious complications appear. Immediately after the onset of heart pain, several rules should be followed to improve the situation. These include:

• Calm. Stress will make things worse anyway.
• Change of position. With relief due to a change in body position, it is most likely not to look for the cause in the heart. If the pain only becomes stronger, then there is a high probability that it is caused by an angina attack.
• Access to fresh air. Shortness of breath is a common symptom of various diseases that cause pain in the heart, so it is better to immediately increase the flow of air into the room. It is also necessary to loosen clothing to reduce breathing difficulties.

The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases leading to pain in the heart increases due to many factors, such as elevated levels of cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure. Also, the heart is negatively affected by smoking, overweight, insufficient amounts of vitamins and physical activity. It is important to periodically undergo medical examinations in order to identify dangerous diseases in advance and begin timely treatment.

We all understand perfectly well what an important role in our body is assigned to such an organ as the heart, which is why even with the slightest discomfort in the left chest area, we feel a sense of anxiety and anxiety. However, in fact, you should not worry and panic for those who are visited by these unpleasant sensations for the first time or are extremely rarely disturbed. But those who regularly experience any pain in the region of the heart should be wary, because the repeatedly repeated pain syndrome is evidence of the presence of some kind of cardiovascular disease, which is of great danger and threatens your life. In this article, we will tell you about what cardiovascular diseases exist, as well as what needs to be done if your heart hurts.

Causes of pain in the heart

Vegetovascular dystonia. This disease is the most common cause of pain in the heart. The essence of vegetovascular dystonia is a violation of the vascular tone of the autonomic nervous system. Symptoms of the disease are as follows: palpitations, regular sweating of the palms and feet, tingling in the heart area, apathy and general weakness. Occurs spontaneously.

Attack of angina pectoris. This disease occurs as a result of atherosclerosis, the essence of which is as follows: cholesterol is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, which ultimately leads to vasoconstriction. Thus, our heart does not receive the amount of oxygen it needs, which causes pain in the heart. Symptoms of angina pectoris: constricting and pressing pain, which can also radiate to the left arm, shoulder and left side of the neck. There may also be numbness in the left hand. On average, an attack lasts 5-15 seconds.

Myocardial infarction. This disease is very dangerous and its essence is as follows: an acute circulatory disorder occurs, which is facilitated by the complete closure of the lumen of the vessel, which ultimately leads to necrosis or simply death of a certain area of ​​the heart muscle (myocardium). Symptoms of myocardial infarction are as follows: burning pain in the chest, lasting more than 15 minutes, shortness of breath, severe weakness, excessive sweating. Untimely provision of emergency medical care can lead to death.

Various inflammations near the lying organs can also provoke pain in the heart area. Neuralgia of the intercostal nerves, pleurisy, myositis and pneumonia - all these diseases can simulate pain in the left region of the chest, since with all these ailments there is compression of nearby nerve endings.

Excessive alcohol consumption. We all certainly know about the dangers of alcohol, and it affects the heart in the first place. And the thing is that when alcohol enters the bloodstream, after a few minutes it causes the heart rate to increase significantly. In a state of alcoholic intoxication, the load on the heart increases many times: it has to “pump” huge volumes of liquid, which also contains toxic substances and alcohol. Of course, this procedure is a backbreaking work for our heart; in the end, it fails, which causes us pain in the heart and arrhythmia.

Stress. We are all familiar with such an expression as "all diseases are from the nerves." And this is true: the heart, like any other organ, is very sensitive to our nervous experiences. And the thing is that during stress, adrenaline is released into the blood, which, in turn, provokes constriction and spasm of blood vessels. All this leads to circulatory disorders and heart palpitations.

Hormonal disorders in women. During the onset of menopause, or during the menstrual cycle, hormonal changes occur in the female body, and therefore pains in the heart area may appear, which are of a different nature: they can be stabbing, pressing, tingling and squeezing.

Treatment of cardiovascular diseases

Of course, we all understand that with regularly occurring pains in the heart area, it is necessary to contact the appropriate specialist, and the sooner this is done, the better, because this is the only way to avoid complicated forms of diseases and, more importantly, save your life. For pain in the heart, you should contact a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon.

For any complaint of pain in the region of the heart, you will be required to undergo an ECG (electrocardiogram). Also, recently, in order to establish a more accurate diagnosis, patients are prescribed a stress ECG (a procedure on velometry, during which cardiac parameters are recorded during physical activity).

Phonocardiography (registration of heart sounds and murmurs) and echocardiography (examination of muscles and heart valves using ultrasonic waves) are also prescribed. There are other types of procedures, however, their passage is assigned on an individual basis, if necessary.

In order to exclude the possibility of the influence of any other organs on heart pain, patients are prescribed a spine examination by computed tomography and x-rays, and it is also recommended to visit specialists such as a neurologist, orthopedist and gastroenterologist.

What to do at home if your heart hurts

First of all, do not panic: as you already know, additional stress negatively affects the heart, which will only worsen your condition: with your experiences, you give your heart an additional load in the form of a rapid heartbeat;

Try to change the position of the body: if the pain goes away when you change the position, know that you are definitely not in any danger; if, when changing the position of the body, the pain does not subside, and in some situations worsens, then these are signs of a disease such as angina pectoris;

Provide open access to fresh air: open a window or balcony;

Free your neck from constricting clothing: unbutton the top buttons or remove clothing that is squeezing your throat. Also loosen the belt;

Use medications: put a nitroglycerin or validol tablet under your tongue, and also take 30-50 drops of valocordin or corvalol;

Take a sedative: motherwort infusion or valerian infusion can act as it;

If after ten minutes your pain has not gone away, put another nitroglycerin or validol tablet under your tongue, take one aspirin tablet and call an ambulance;

In a situation where your pain still subsided on its own, in the near future you are still strongly recommended to visit a specialist to undergo an electrocardiogram and pass all the necessary tests.

How to prevent heart pain

In order for pain in the heart area not to bother you, you need to constantly monitor your health and maintain your immunity. To do this, it is recommended to adhere to the following principles:

Give up bad habits: alcohol and smoking affect your heart in the most negative way;

Be outdoors more often; walks before going to bed are especially important and useful;

Actively go in for sports: remember that your body should not be at rest;

Proper nutrition is the key to health; daily eat foods rich in potassium and calcium: bananas, potatoes, zucchini, beans, tomatoes, cottage cheese, dairy products;

Avoid fatty, fried and spicy foods. It is best to give preference to boiled, stewed and steamed food. It is also worth giving up sweets and flour products, which also “clog” our body in every possible way, interfering with the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Providing first aid for pain in the heart:

First of all, the patient must be placed on a hard surface: on the floor or the ground; on a soft surface, pressure on the chest is completely ineffective;

Next, you need to do an indirect heart massage. To do this, mark the desired point on the sternum: measure 2 fingers from the end of the sternum - this way you will find the location of the heart: just in the middle of the sternum;

Next, you need to do the following: take four breaths, and then alternate - 15 pressures on the sternum and 2 breaths - this is about 60-80 pressures per minute. Inhalation during indirect heart massage is done either from mouth to mouth, or from mouth to nose through gauze, which must be folded in two layers. The massage is done until the patient has a pulse and begins to breathe on his own.

• Why the heart hurts: signs of disease
• Why the heart hurts: symptoms of heart disease
• Causes of pain in the heart
• What to do if your heart hurts

Very often people feel pain in the heart, the reasons for which they appear can be quite diverse. For some, they occur as a result of stress or constant experiences, but almost always this is a sign that the disease begins or progresses, up to very serious health problems.

Pain in the heart can cause pathological disorders in the structure of the heart (pericardium, aorta, valves, atria and ventricles), pinching of the intercostal nerves, injury to the ribs, muscle strain. Neglect in this case is not at all appropriate - it is better to contact the cardiology center immediately and undergo a full medical examination. After all, it’s good if pain in the heart is a sign of stretching of muscle tissue or stagnation of lactic acid. It is much worse if chest pain is a sign of a heart attack (in this case, the heart muscle will hurt due to cell necrosis), acquired heart defects, or acute heart failure.

Why the heart hurts: signs of disease

Pain may occur against the background of:

• coronarogenic and non-coronary cardiac lesions (accompanied by anginal pain sensations);
• ischemic heart disease;
• angina;
• necrosis of the heart muscle (myocardial infarction);
• myocarditis;
• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy;
• dry pericarditis;
• aortic and mitral defects;
• acute heart failure.

Each of the listed diseases has “heart pain” in its symptoms, the causes of which need to be clarified only in a cardiological center using special diagnostic equipment (ultrasound, ECG, echocardiography).

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Why the heart hurts: symptoms of heart disease

If there are problems with the heart, the work of the respiratory system and the general condition of the body are immediately disrupted. Almost all cardiac diseases are accompanied not only by pain in the heart. Cardiovascular diseases, mostly paroxysmal, can occur unexpectedly and just as suddenly disappear.

Some attacks accompanied by pain can be experienced by a person within a few seconds, but in some diseases of the cardiovascular system, attacks can accompany people for 2-3 weeks. During an attack, the heart hurts, the heartbeat quickens (sometimes it reaches up to 250 beats per minute). Due to the lack of oxygen, which must be supplied in full to all cells of the body's tissues, especially the respiratory system, hypoxia (oxygen starvation) occurs and shortness of breath appears (in some cases even at rest), a strong cough, the skin becomes pale.

Against the background of oxygen starvation, the temperature rises, as a result, the body responds with intoxication: sweating increases, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting appear. Sometimes there is clouding and loss of consciousness, trembling in the hands, limbs go numb. Jumps in blood pressure are observed: it rises or falls. With such signs and symptoms, especially if they do not appear for the first time, but are already a relapse, you must strictly visit the cardiology center for a diagnostic examination.

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Causes of pain in the heart

Usually, pain in the chest has a stabbing, aching character. Sometimes there is a dull pain. Some diseases are characterized by pains in the heart that radiate to the left region. According to the nature of the occurrence of painful sensations, it can be conditionally divided into suddenly arising and developing gradually.

Sudden twitching in the heart, a feeling of squeezing that appeared due to physical activity, may be signs of angina pectoris, myocarditis, acquired heart disease or myocardial infarction. Pain in the heart, which is felt on the left arm, occurs due to the fact that the heart muscle lacks oxygen.

After suffering infectious diseases (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, laryngitis) after 2-3 weeks, people very often complain of pain in the heart. This can be quite an alarming sign, because self-treatment or improper treatment (incomplete home treatment) of acute viral and bacterial infectious diseases leads to inflammation of pericarditis - the outer heart membrane, on which streptococci settle and cause an inflammatory process.

It is characterized by prolonged pain (the heart aches, aches and presses), and even after taking analgesics and nitroglycerin-containing drugs, it does not go away.

Very often, pain in the heart indicates diseases of large blood vessels. Due to pathological changes and defects, inflammatory processes that occur on the aortic walls, and due to the expansion of the sections of the largest blood vessel, dull pain occurs in the region of the heart.

In many cases, pain in the region of the heart may not be a precursor to cardiac disease. Even ordinary stresses or nervous tension, a prolonged state of depression can cause arrhythmia (rapid heartbeat), but this does not mean at all that the pain comes from the heart. Diseases that people often confuse with real heart pain are:

• intercostal neuralgia - pinching of the intercostal vertebrae, nerve endings, accompanied by pain in the region of the heart;
• heartburn, in which stomach acid, which contains acid, rises into the esophagus and can cause a burning sensation and pain in the chest, but many think that the heart hurts);
• impaired functions of the autonomic nervous system, the so-called panic attacks (accompanied by rapid heartbeat and pain in the heart);
• pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura) is accompanied not only by pain in the heart, but also by a strong cough;
• various diseases of the respiratory system, for example, pneumothorax (a sleeping lung), while the pain occurs in the region of the heart suddenly, the person feels dizzy, nauseous, breathing is difficult, weakness, arrhythmia appear.

The word is given to the resuscitator of the specialized team, the chief specialist in cardiology of the A. S. Puchkov Emergency Medical Station of Moscow, Alexei Sokolov.

When pain occurs in the heart, it is important to act in a collected and clear manner. After all, this symptom can be a signal of serious problems, up to acute coronary syndrome, which is a combination of pathological reactions of the body that occur during the development of myocardial infarction. In order to prevent a cardiac catastrophe and correctly orient the ambulance dispatcher, it is necessary to pay attention to the following nuances:

Where does it hurt?

With problems with the heart, pain behind the sternum (that is, in the center of the chest) is most characteristic. The interweaving of nerve endings located in this zone creates the most sensitive zones that subtly respond to cardiac problems.

How does it hurt? A heart attack is characterized by squeezing, pressing, burning, sometimes tearing pain. “The pain arose in the right shoulder ... Then she crawled to her chest and got stuck somewhere under the left nipple. Then, as if someone's callused hand penetrated into the chest and began to squeeze out the heart, like a bunch of grapes. Squeezed slowly, diligently - one-two, two-three, three-four ... Finally, when there was not a drop of blood left in the squeezed out heart, the same hand indifferently threw it away ... ”- this is how he described a heart attack writer Nodar Dumbadze.

How long does it hurt? With a developing heart attack, an attack of heart pain lasts much longer (from 15 minutes or more) than with angina pectoris, often provoked by exercise or stress, but can also occur at rest, for no apparent reason.

Where does it give? Most of all, cardiologists are alarmed by complaints of pain behind the sternum, which radiates to one or two shoulders and especially to ... the jaw. Some mistake such pain for a toothache and even go to the dentist at the end of the attack, unaware that they were halfway to a heart attack. The fact is that in the projection of the cervicothoracic spine, nerves pass through which the innervation of the heart, and the chin region, and the region of the shoulder joints goes. Therefore, the pain impulse from the heart muscle is often transmitted to the neighboring node. If, at the same time, the person’s left hand also goes numb (from the shoulder to the elbow or to the little finger), and the body is covered with cold sweat, there can be no two opinions: you need to urgently dial “03”.

Does pain depend on movement? Having answered this question, we can assume what the resulting pain syndrome is connected with - with a cardiovascular problem or intercostal neuralgia, diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis). If a person's pain changes or intensifies when inhaling, exhaling, when moving a hand, then it is most likely not of a cardiac nature. If the pain appeared during an ordinary walk around the apartment or at rest, this is a sure sign of acute coronary syndrome and a reason to call an ambulance.

Is there shortness of breath? Shortness of breath that requires serious attention is characterized by a sudden, acute onset. Especially if the feeling of lack of air arose for the first time, at rest or during the usual physical activity for a person (cleaning the apartment, walking, on the way to work), and decreases when the person sat down or lay down. Sometimes coronary heart disease (CHD), pulmonary hypertension, acute coronary insufficiency, a painless form of myocardial infarction, and pulmonary embolism can occur according to this type.

However, shortness of breath can also be of neurotic origin, after emotional stress, when stress hormones are released into the bloodstream, increasing the number of respiratory movements. So this symptom is best considered in combination with others.

Important

If you notice most of the problems described above, feel free to call an ambulance. Before the doctors arrive, you need to sit or lie down on a bed with a high headboard, provide yourself or the victim with fresh air, stop any physical activity, try to count the pulse and measure blood pressure.

With pain in the heart, one- or two-time intake of nitrospray is not forbidden (preferably in a sitting or lying position, this prevents a sharp decrease in blood pressure and the appearance of fainting). By the way, the use of nitrospray can be regarded as a kind of test. If the nitropreparation does not relieve pain or relieves it slightly, this may be the first evidence that you are halfway to a heart attack, or, conversely, this pain syndrome is not associated with the heart. However, it is important to remember that nitroglycerin speeds up the work of the heart and against the background of tachycardia in combination with an increase in blood pressure, its use is undesirable.

Heartache

Intercostal neuralgia, cervical osteochondrosis, cervico-shoulder syndrome provoke cardialgia that occurs under certain conditions (tilting or turning the head, when stretching the arm, etc.). Also, a feeling of heaviness in the chest or other unpleasant complaints are made by people who have experienced a nervous breakdown, suffering from depression, panic attacks, and chronic stress. Similar symptoms are possible with menopausal syndrome, in which case there are additional hot flashes, mood swings.

Cardiological causes of pain in the heart

Coronary heart disease (anginal pain):
Cardiac ischemia
angina (tension, rest, stable, unstable)
myocardial infarction.
They are caused by a decrease in blood supply to certain areas of the myocardium, most often due to atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary arteries, often occur during exercise. The pain is pressing, squeezing, burning, can radiate to the left arm and shoulder blade, is paroxysmal in nature, may be accompanied by fear, lasts from 2-3 to 15-20 minutes.
Non-coronary lesions (inflammatory, rheumatic diseases, heart defects, etc.):
Myocarditis
Cardiomyopathy (often hypertrophic)
Pericarditis (usually dry)
Defects of the aortic, mitral valve (usually stenosis).
The heart hurts for a long time (“whines”), especially with a deep breath, coughing, often the presence of discomfort depends on the posture. Painkillers provide relief.

Only a doctor can determine the exact cause of pain in the heart, based on the history and information obtained during diagnostic studies (for example, ECG, echocardiography). It is worth noting the pain with a dissecting aortic aneurysm: a sharp onset of pain (like a "dagger strike").

Pain of non-cardiac origin

May be due to radicular syndrome in osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine. In this case, the pain is long-lasting (for hours), or vice versa, instant punctures. They are not associated with walking, but are provoked by turning the body or working with the hands.

With pleurisy, the pain is clearly related to breathing. With spasm of the esophagus and diaphragmatic hernia, pain often occurs after eating and in the supine position.

Heartburn with a stomach ulcer may resemble a burning sensation behind the sternum, but there is no connection with walking, it is stopped by antacids.

In addition to a cardiologist, you may need to consult a neurologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, pulmonologist, traumatologist, orthopedist and other specialists.

If, along with pain in the heart, especially severe and prolonged, any of the following symptoms are present, it is urgent to call an ambulance:

Vomiting, nausea,
clouding of consciousness,
A sharp increase in sweating,
Dyspnea,
Hemoptysis
Dizziness,
Fainting,
Numbness of the limbs

Since heart pain can have many causes, do not put off a visit to the doctor.

My heart is bleeding

Most of us do not react to a rapid heartbeat, or explain it with increased emotionality. And if there is pain in the region of the heart, we run straight to the cardiologist. Oddly enough, this is not always the right specialist - intercostal neuralgia can also cause such sensations, and this is not an isolated example.

Often, it is not the pain in the heart that is disturbing at all, but the deviation of the heartbeat, and many do not pay enough attention to them, although such anomalies are signals of serious problems.

What are the most common complaints about the heart, and when do you need to make an appointment with a doctor, and when do you urgently grab the phone and call an ambulance?

The most common symptoms and causes of pain and discomfort in the heart area:

1. Too fast heartbeat
A rapid heartbeat, scientifically called tachycardia, is a normal response of the body to emotional or physical stress, and sometimes to an increase in temperature. Therefore, such symptoms, especially in older people, often accompany the flu. If such a heartbeat is observed at rest and the pulse reaches 180-200 beats per minute, do not hesitate to call an ambulance. These are signs of paroxysmal tachycardia, and they are not amenable to self-treatment, only a specialist can find the root cause. Before the ambulance arrives, if you are alone in the apartment, call your neighbors, such a pulse rate can cause fainting.

2. Irregular heartbeat
If the heart beats “at random”, at irregular time intervals, this is also a reason to call an ambulance. Most often, this is a sign of an attack of atrial fibrillation, and treatment should be carried out in a cardiology clinic.

3. "Extra" heart beats
It happens that in the middle of even heartbeats, an “extraordinary” suddenly slips, after which a short pause follows. Such phenomena are called extrasystoles, and can occur in people with unimpaired heart function. Usually they are not even perceived as a significant deviation from the norm. However, if this happens too often and starts to cause you concern, contact your cardiologist. You should conduct daily Holter ECG monitoring and record the frequency and duration of extrasystoles in order to find out in detail the cause of deviations from the norm, and additional examinations may be prescribed.

4. Pain on movement
In young people, pain in the region of the left side of the chest is not yet a reason to consider yourself a core. If it occurs during sudden movements, holding your breath or when lifting weights, you need to look for the cause in your musculoskeletal system. Often this can be the most common disease of the spine - scoliosis, or it can make itself felt inflammation of the intercostal muscles.
Initially, it is better to contact not a cardiologist, but a neurologist or orthopedist. Gymnastics, manual therapy can help to cope with the problem, and a corset is often recommended for office workers to maintain the spine. When choosing a corset, it is important to consult a specialist, this is a professional fixator, and you should not wear it without recommendations.

5. Pain associated with a rash
A sharp pain in the ribs, accompanied by a rash, in adults can be a sign of herpes zoster, and in children - chickenpox.
First of all, you need to visit a therapist and a dermatologist, such pain is rarely related to cardiology.

6. Pain during exercise
If, when playing sports or lifting weights, a spasm occurs that radiates to the left arm or lower jaw, and a burning sensation is felt, you need to visit a cardiologist and undergo an ECG (it is also possible to pass a stress ECG). This may be the first sign of angina.

7. Pain during a cold
If pain in the heart began to bother you during a cold, this can either be a sign of an inflammatory process that has affected the heart, or signal osteochondrosis. Accurate diagnosis can be provided by a cardiologist and rheumatologist, and along with a routine ECG, be prepared to take complete blood tests and ultrasounds.

8. Pain at rest
If you periodically feel a slight aching pain at rest against the background of a bad mood, this may be the result of depression or autonomic dysfunction. Visit a neuropsychiatrist, such problems can have a bad effect not only on your emotional, but also on your physical health.

9. Pain when eating
If you are experiencing severe pain in the left chest area after eating spicy or fatty foods, less often on an empty stomach, this may be a sign of problems with the stomach or pancreas. You should visit a general practitioner and a specialist gastroenterologist.

Even if you do not have heart problems, after thirty-five years it is better to measure your blood pressure regularly and see a doctor every six months. Always take your health seriously and never procrastinate until it's too late!

Pain in the region of the heart

Pain in this area is varied. They prick, crush, squeeze, bake, burn, whine, pull, pierce. They can be felt in a small area or spill over the entire chest, give to the shoulder, arm, neck, lower jaw, abdomen, under the shoulder blade. They can appear for a few minutes or last for hours, or even days on end, they can change with breathing, movement of the arms and shoulder girdle, or a change in position ... Sometimes they occur during physical or emotional stress, sometimes at rest or in connection with taking food.

There are many causes of pain in the heart area. They can be such heart diseases as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, inflammation of the heart and its membranes, rheumatic lesions. But often the source of pain is located outside the heart, as, for example, with neurosis, diseases of the ribs and thoracic spine, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and many other diseases.

Why does the heart hurt

Heart pain is one of the most common reasons people seek emergency care. Pain in the heart according to their origin can be divided into two main groups:

Anginal pain that occurs at various stages of coronary disease;
cardialgia caused by inflammatory diseases of the heart, congenital diseases and heart defects or vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Anginal (ischemic, angina pectoris) pains appear when there is a need to increase blood flow, which occurs during physical exertion or emotional stress. Therefore, these pains are characterized by the onset of attacks when walking, emotional disorders, and cessation at rest, their rapid removal with nitroglycerin. The nature of ischemic pain is usually burning, pressing, squeezing; are felt, as a rule, behind the sternum and can be given to the left shoulder, arm, under the shoulder blade, to the lower jaw. They are often accompanied by shortness of breath. Very strong, pressing, squeezing, tearing, burning pain behind the sternum or to the left of it is one of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction, and this pain is no longer relieved by nitroglycerin.

Cardialgia that occurs with rheumatic heart disease, myocarditis and inflammatory diseases of the outer shell of the heart - the pericardium, usually prolonged, aching or stabbing, spilled, occurs to the left of the sternum, aggravated by breathing, coughing. They are not removed by nitroglycerin, but may weaken after the appointment of painkillers.

Often pain in the heart area is not associated with diseases of the heart itself.

If the pain in the region of the heart changes with tilting and turning the torso, deep inhalation or exhalation, movement of the arms, and taking nitroglycerin or validol practically does not affect the intensity, then it is probably due to thoracic sciatica or diseases of the costal cartilages.

Severe pain along the intercostal spaces is sometimes the first sign of herpes zoster, and short-term or periodic pain in the region of the heart, often concentrated in a small area, aching, stabbing or indefinite, is a frequent complaint of patients with neurosis.

Stress and depression can manifest as pain in the neck and shoulder area. Those who run to the doctor in fear, believing that he has a "bad heart", return home reassured: the pain is associated only with the muscles. Often, shortness of breath, constricting or stabbing pains in the heart are caused by swelling of the intestines, which puts pressure on the heart and thereby impairs its function. If you can associate pain in the heart area with the intake of any particular food or fasting, then the cause may be in the disease of the stomach or pancreas. Also, the cause of pain can be an infringement of the root of the heart nerve, a weakened thoracic spine, its curvature, osteochondrosis, etc.

How to find the cause of pain and what to do about it?

To clarify the cause of pain in the heart area, a thorough examination prescribed by a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon is necessary.

When examining the activity of the heart, an obligatory method is an electrocardiogram (ECG), a stress ECG (treadmill test, bicycle ergometry) - an electrocardiogram recording during physical exertion and an ECG Holter monitoring - an ECG recording that is carried out during the day.

To study heart sounds, the phonocardiography method is used, and the echocardiography method allows using ultrasound to examine the state of the heart muscles and valves, to assess the speed of blood movement in the cavities of the heart. The method of coronary angiography is used to study the condition of the coronary arteries. To determine the lack of blood supply to the heart muscle, the method of myocardial scintigraphy is also used.

To exclude "non-cardiac causes" of pain in the heart, it may be necessary to conduct x-rays, computed and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine, and consultations with a neurologist or orthopedist may be necessary. You may need to visit a gastroenterologist or a medical psychologist.

By the way, according to the observations of cardiologists, if a person describes in detail and vividly his pains in the region of the heart, very often he takes observations about his painful sensations “on a pencil” and reads them to the doctor, most likely, these are not heart pains. If, in addition, a person believes that each time the pain is different, lasts a long time (with no signs of heart failure), is accompanied by a frequent heartbeat, sometimes more disturbing than the pain itself, cardiologists usually look for the cause of the disease outside the heart.

If the description of the pain is stingy, without unnecessary words, if the patient remembers the nature of the painful sensations well, this often indicates a serious heart disease. However, with any complaints of pain in the heart area, you should consult a doctor.

The cardiologist will prescribe you treatment depending on the diagnosis. It is possible that a course of manual therapy will be quite enough to save you from pain in the heart caused by "non-heart" diseases. And it is possible that the only salvation for you will be a surgical operation aimed at vascular plasty or creating a bypass for blood flow.

Remember - our heart was created for love, but we must also learn to love and cherish it.

Pain in the region of the heart

stabbing,
aching or
compressive,
often gives to the left hand and shoulder blade,
occurs suddenly or
develops gradually
is short-lived or
long.

It accompanies both diseases of the heart itself and damage to other organs.

Sudden sharp compressive pains behind the sternum, radiating to the left arm and shoulder blade, arising from physical effort or at rest, are characteristic of angina pectoris and require urgent medical care.
Pain in the left half of the chest can also occur with lesions of organs adjacent to the heart: pleura, trachea, nerve roots, with anemia, myocarditis, heart defects and other diseases.
Often, pain in the region of the heart is caused by functional disorders of the nervous apparatus of the heart in case of neuroses, endocrine disorders, various intoxications (for example, in smokers and alcohol abusers).

Treatment for pain in the heart area depends on the cause that caused them, which can only be established by a doctor. With severe acute pain in the region of the heart, you should immediately lie down or sit down and take nitroglycerin (in its absence, validol). If after 10 minutes the pain does not disappear, you need to put mustard plasters on the middle part of the chest and urgently call a doctor.

Heart hurts what to do

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

Pain in the heart area does not always correspond to the severity and severity of the disease.

With myocardial ischemia, a person experiences a pressing sensation that extends to the left arm - this happens after physical exertion, after stress, or due to overeating.

Acute myocardial infarction gives similar, but more intense and prolonged, up to half an hour or more, sensations.

Myocarditis is accompanied by both pressing, aching and stabbing pain in the region of the heart, and they do not always occur immediately after physical exertion - it can take several days.

Pericarditis is one of the most common causes of pain, but the pain syndrome accompanies only the initial stage of the disease, when the pericardial layers are rubbed. Pain can occur in the hypochondrium, a person feels that his heart and left arm hurt, a feature of such pain is the dependence on breathing or body position (the patient sits, leaning forward, shallow breathing).

Cardiomyopathy is also almost always accompanied by pain, and of a different nature and different localization.

Mitral valve prolapse is characterized by long aching, nagging or pressing pain that cannot be relieved by nitroglycerin.

Myocardial dystrophy is also characterized by a variety of pain sensations in the region of the heart.

Should I self-diagnose?

Among women over the age of 30, almost every second complains that she has pain in the heart area. Considering women's emotionality, it can be understood that, in general, complaints intensify after a woman is nervous. If the sensation of pain is concentrated behind the sternum, coronary heart disease can be suspected, with pain in the left shoulder and in the left shoulder blade, angina pectoris is often diagnosed. But often pain associated with neurological diseases is also mistaken for pain in the heart. How to distinguish them? Not at all difficult: in neurology, a lot depends on the movement of the chest, they increase with a high breath or with a change in posture. Take a deep breath and listen to yourself. If the pain is not constant, but disappears with a change in position, this is neuralgic pain. But our advice - do not try to diagnose yourself yourself, consult a doctor so that you do not have to regret the lost time later!

Why does the heart hurt?

To the question “why the heart hurts”, cardiologists most often give two answers: angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. The root cause of these diseases is insufficient blood circulation in the heart muscle, causing coronary heart disease (CHD), which manifests itself precisely in the form of angina pectoris and heart attack. The heart needs a supply of blood rich in oxygen and nutrients. If the coronary, that is, the heart, vessels narrow or a spasm sets in, part of the heart muscle protests - pain. Such pain is the main symptom of angina pectoris. If the narrowing or spasm does not go away for a long time or is very strong - the cells in this part of the heart muscle die, this process is called a myocardial infarction.
With angina pectoris, pain begins in the retrosternal region, pain in the heart radiates to the arm, neck, lower jaw, sometimes even to the right shoulder. It also happens that sensitivity in the hands disappears. But the pain continues for several minutes.
If the pain intensifies, lasts longer, becomes unbearable, suffocation appears, the person turns pale, sweats - these are all signs of a heart attack, and in this case, the first thing to do is call an ambulance cardiological care!

Types of pain

When a doctor hears from a patient a complaint of stabbing pains in the heart, “as if with a needle”, he first of all assumes heart neurosis - a kind of vegetovascular dystonia, impaired nervous activity and nervous tone. The usual advice in such cases is patience, self-control and valerian. The body gives a signal that the nervous system is out of order. Stress can cause not only emotional, but also physical changes, adrenaline is released, which is not spent on the physical work of the muscles, and therefore finds “application” in another area. Here, the way out will be either the ability to relax, or physical stress, work, sports - whatever.

Aching pain in the heart can talk about myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle, often appearing after a sore throat and accompanied by sensations of “interruptions” in the work of the heart, weakness, and sometimes fever.

Pressing pain in the heart is a sign of angina pectoris, which we have already talked about. If the diagnosis is known and it is really angina, you can relieve the attack by taking nitroglycerin under the tongue (Corvalol and validol will not help!), Opening the window and giving access to fresh air. If the pain does not decrease, take another nitroglycerin tablet and call an ambulance. Do not tolerate pain - the process can begin to develop and a sharp pain in the heart will appear, a sign of myocardial infarction. Such pain is not relieved by nitroglycerin, and lasts for half an hour, and several hours. It is important to help the patient as soon as possible in order to increase his chances of recovery.

Constant pain in the heart, whether it be stabbing, cutting, aching or pressing, is the surest sign that you need to see a doctor, and the sooner the better. Do not tolerate, do not self-medicate, do not hope that it will pass by itself - help yourself, your body, give it a chance to live happily ever after.

What to do with pain in the heart?

So, if you already know your diagnosis, and you are caught in a heartache, what do you need to do to relieve an attack?

We have already said that with angina pectoris, you need to give access to fresh air and support the heart with a nitroglycerin tablet.

With neuroses, the right remedy is valerian, fresh air, physical activity and peace of mind.

A sharp pain, indicating the likelihood of a heart attack, can be eased by planting (not laying down!) The patient, it would be nice to lower his legs in hot water with mustard. Under the tongue - a tablet of validol, you can take up to 40 drops of valocordin or corvalol, if it does not help - put a tablet of nitroglycerin under the tongue. And call an ambulance!

Sustak, sorbitol, nitranol, nitrosorbitol help with pain in the heart, but they do not act so quickly - after 10-15 minutes, so they are, in principle, useless during an attack. They will help with pain and rubbing such as bee venom, Bom-Beng or efkamon.

If your heart pain is due to high blood pressure, take a fast-acting blood pressure medicine such as Corinfar.

If the pain didn’t bother you before, that is, you don’t know if you have a heart disease and what kind, and suddenly you feel that your heart hurts, what should you do? The first thing is not to be afraid, try not to harm yourself with unnecessary emotions. Take 40 drops of valocordin, if it is not available, Corvalol or Validol will help. Give yourself peace. Take 1 tablet of aspirin and 1 tablet of analgin, washing down both tablets with half a glass of water. If the pain does not subside within 15 minutes, call an ambulance.

Nitroglycerin is a serious medicine for heart pain, it should be taken only by those who know for sure that it is this remedy that they need.

Pain gives in the heart

Pain in the heart causes

Pain in the heart area has many causes, including those requiring close attention. Causes of pain can be divided into 2 broad categories - "cardiac" and "non-cardiac".

"Heart" reasons

Myocardial infarction - a blood clot that blocks the movement of blood in the arteries of the heart can cause pressure, squeezing chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes. The pain can give (radiate) to the back, neck, lower jaw, shoulders and arms (especially the left). Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, cold sweats, and nausea.

Angina. Over the years, fatty plaques can form in the arteries of your heart, limiting the flow of blood to the heart muscle, especially during exercise. It is the restriction of blood flow through the arteries of the heart that causes attacks of chest pain - angina pectoris. Angina is often described by people as a feeling of pressure or constriction in the chest. It usually occurs during exercise or stress. The pain usually lasts about a minute and stops with rest.

Other cardiac causes Other causes that may present with chest pain include inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericarditis), most commonly due to a viral infection. Pain in pericarditis is most often acute, stabbing in nature. Fever and malaise may also occur. Less commonly, pain can be caused by a dissection of the aorta, your body's main artery. The inner layer of this artery can separate under the pressure of the blood and the result is sharp, sudden and severe pain in the chest. Aortic dissection may result from chest trauma or as a complication of uncontrolled hypertension.

"Non-heart" reasons

Heartburn. Acidic stomach acid leaking from the stomach into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) can cause heartburn, an excruciating burning sensation in the chest. Often it is combined with a sour taste and belching. Heartburn chest pain is usually food related and can last for hours. This symptom most often occurs when bending or lying down. Relieve heartburn by taking antacids.

Panic attacks. If you experience bouts of unreasonable fear, combined with chest pain, palpitations, hyperventilation (rapid breathing) and profuse sweating, you may suffer from "panic attacks" - a peculiar form of dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

Pleurisy. Sharp, localized chest pain that worsens with inhalation or coughing may be a sign of pleurisy. Pain occurs due to inflammation of the membrane lining the chest cavity from the inside and covering the lungs. Pleurisy can occur with various diseases, but most often with pneumonia.

Tietze syndrome. Under certain conditions, the cartilaginous parts of the ribs, especially the cartilages attached to the sternum, can become inflamed. Pain in this disease can occur suddenly and be quite intense, simulating an angina attack. However, the localization of pain may be different. With Tietze's syndrome, pain may increase when pressing on the sternum or ribs near the sternum. Pain in angina pectoris and myocardial infarction does not depend on this.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine leads to the so-called vertebrogenic cardialgia, which resembles angina pectoris. In this condition, there is intense and prolonged pain in the chest, in the left half of the chest. Irradiation to the hands, interscapular region may be noted. The pain intensifies or weakens with a change in body position, head rotation, hand movements. The diagnosis can be confirmed with an MRI of the spine.

Embolism of the pulmonary artery. This type of embolism occurs when a blood clot enters the pulmonary artery, blocking the flow of blood to the heart. Symptoms of this life-threatening condition may include sudden, severe chest pain that comes on or gets worse with deep breathing or coughing. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, palpitations, anxiety, loss of consciousness.

Other lung diseases. Pneumothorax (collapsed lung), high pressure in the vessels supplying the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), and severe asthma can also present with chest pain.

Muscle diseases. Pain caused by muscle diseases, as a rule, begins to bother when turning the body or when raising the arms. Chronic pain syndrome such as fibromyalgia. May cause persistent chest pain.

Rib injuries and pinched nerves. Bruises and fractures of the ribs, as well as pinching of the nerve roots, can cause pain, sometimes very severe. With intercostal neuralgia, pain is localized along the intercostal spaces and increases with palpation.

Diseases of the esophagus. Some diseases of the esophagus can cause swallowing problems and therefore chest discomfort. Spasm of the esophagus can cause chest pain. In patients with this disease, the muscles that normally move food through the esophagus work in an uncoordinated manner. Since spasm of the esophagus can resolve after taking nitroglycerin - just like angina pectoris - diagnostic errors often occur. Another swallowing disorder known as achalasia can also cause chest pain. In this case, the valve in the lower third of the esophagus does not open properly and does not let food into the stomach. It remains in the esophagus, causing discomfort, pain and heartburn.

Shingles. This infection, caused by the herpes virus and affecting the nerve endings, can cause severe chest pain. Pain can be localized in the left half of the chest or be girdle in nature. This disease can leave behind a complication - postherpetic neuralgia - the cause of prolonged pain and increased skin sensitivity.

Diseases of the gallbladder and pancreas. Gallstones or inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) and pancreas (pancreatitis) can cause pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the heart.

Since chest pain can be due to many different causes, do not self-diagnose and self-medicate and do not ignore severe and prolonged pain. The cause of your pain may not be so serious - but in order to establish it, you need to contact specialists.

Pain in the heart when inhaling

The main causes of pain in the heart when inhaling:

1. Pain in the heart when inhaling occurs due to inflammation of the membrane lining the chest cavity from the inside and covering the lungs. Dry pleurisy can occur with various diseases, but most often with pneumonia.
Pain in dry pleurisy decreases in the position on the affected side. Restriction of respiratory mobility of the corresponding half of a thorax is noticeable; with unchanged percussion sound, weakened breathing can be heard due to the sparing of the affected side by the patient, the noise of pleural friction. Body temperature is often subfebrile, there may be chills, night sweats, weakness.

2. Restriction of the movement of the chest or pain in the heart during inhalation and exhalation with shallow breathing is observed with functional disorders of the rib cage or thoracic spine (limitation of mobility), tumors of the pleura, pericarditis.

3. With dry pericarditis, pain in the heart increases with inhalation and movement, so the depth of breathing decreases, which aggravates shortness of breath. The intensity of pain during inhalation varies from mild to severe.

4. With the shortening of the interpleural ligament, there is a constant coughing, aggravated by talking, taking a deep breath, physical activity, stabbing pains when inhaling, running.
The interpleural ligament is formed from the fusion of the visceral and parietal pleural layers of the lung root region. Further, descending caudally along the medial edge of the lungs, this ligament branches in the tendon part of the diaphragm and its legs. The function is to provide springy resistance during caudal displacement of the diaphragm. In the presence of an inflammatory process, the ligaments shorten and limit caudal displacement

5. With intercostal neuralgia, sharp “shooting” pains occur along the intercostal spaces, which sharply increase with inspiration.

6. With renal colic, pain is localized in the right hypochondrium and in the epigastric region and then spreads throughout the abdomen. The pain radiates under the right shoulder blade, to the right shoulder, increases with inspiration, as well as with palpation of the gallbladder area. There is local pain with pressure in the zone X-XII of the thoracic vertebrae 2-3 transverse fingers to the right of the spinous islets.

7. From a blow or compression of the chest, a fracture of the ribs can occur. With such damage, a person feels a sharp pain in the heart when inhaling and coughing.

8. With neuroses, especially at the height of the anxiety-hypochondriacal state, pain in the heart is observed, which is accompanied by unpleasant sensations and paresthesias in the hands (often on the left) and other parts of the body.

Pain in the heart area can also signal a serious illness, so do not delay a visit to the doctor.

Pain under the heart

Often the pain is traced in the area slightly to the left of the sternum, but it can also spread to the entire region of the heart. The pain can take on various pressing or breaking forms or remain dull, constant. It happens that the pain in the heart gives to the shoulder or left arm.

The intensity of an attack of pain in different people is different depending on the disease that provoked the pain. An attack most often occurs due to an unplanned load on the muscles or a sudden emotional load. This can be a sharp lifting of a heavy object, running, or unpleasant, shocking negative news.

The basis of the pain attack is the discrepancy between the needs of the heart muscle for oxygen, which must be delivered through the coronary arteries and the throughput of the arteries themselves. An insufficient supply of oxygen can be caused, for example, by atherosclerosis.

The sad fact is that adults often do not listen to the recommendations of doctors and ignore the pain in the heart. In no case should this be done, because the attacks can resume, and the pain becomes longer in time and intense in strength. As a result of such actions, trouble should be expected - a serious cardiovascular disease.

Each person who has had an attack of pain in the heart must contact a specialist cardiologist in order to avoid complications. With the manifestation of unhealthy sensations in the region of the heart, a person should not be alone, since help may be required at every minute.

If you have taken any medicine to relieve pain in the heart (Corvalol, Validol, Valocordin), and the effect is not observed, then you may become a victim of a rapidly developing myocardial infarction. This is not the time to delay, because without emergency care, you risk your life.

Take note: if 5-10 minutes after taking Corvalol, Validol, Valocordin, the pain has not decreased and has not disappeared, then you need to put another 1 tablet of medication under your tongue and immediately contact an ambulance. Only physicians will be able to take the necessary measures in order to relieve pain and soothe vasospasm. If you need hospitalization, you should not resist.

Aching pain in the heart

Aching pain in the region of the heart

Aching pains in the region of the heart are also very common in adolescents. Moreover, their spectrum is very diverse, because the nature of the pain can be rare, frequent, permanent or transient. Do not forget that they are directly related to the current state of the central nervous system. After all, any stress and excessive neuropsychic stress will lead to increased pain.

Real help can be provided by proper nutrition, intake of vitamins and minerals, and moderate exercise.

However, after the completion of adolescence, such aching pains most often disappear. Another important period in the life of any woman is menopause. Hormonal changes are inherent in him to a lesser extent. Only in this case there is not an increase in the number of sex hormones, but their decrease. The central nervous system in women at such a time is in a very deplorable state. They are characterized by very strong irritability, sometimes turning into outright aggressiveness, constant insomnia and a sharp decrease in efficiency.

As a result of all this, women get "rushes" of blood to the entire upper half of the body, increased sweating, rapid pulse and constantly changing blood pressure. Of course, all this has a very negative effect on the state of the heart. That is why the appearance of aching pain in his area has already become the norm. It especially intensifies during heavy emotional stress, but a calm environment, on the contrary, helps to ensure that such pain goes away.

Due to the fact that she is no longer young, terrible thoughts begin to come to the woman’s head that she is sick with some incurable disease. However, this is not the case, pain sensations during menopause, most often are not dangerous, and soon after the establishment of the hormonal background, they stop.

However, sometimes menopause becomes a serious test for a woman. In such cases, medical assistance is mandatory. First of all, you need to undergo a deep medical examination. If the disease is not serious, then special sedatives and complexes of vitamins and minerals will be prescribed. Proper nutrition, walking outside and good sleep will also be very relevant.

For your own peace of mind, we recommend that you make an appointment with a doctor and find out the cause of heart pain.

Stitching pains in the heart

Any doctor, having heard from the patient that the pain in the heart, which he complains about, is similar to injections, that it arose suddenly, stabbing and short-lived, will breathe a sigh of relief, worrying less about the patient's life. In this case, there is no reason to worry that we are talking about severe heart disease, serious danger and death. The patient can feel a truly hellish pain, which takes his breath away. But cardiology knows that the heart does not hurt like that. In any case, the cardiologist will least of all think about pathological processes in the heart, in the heart vessels, about myocardial infarction, because this is completely not typical for them.

What could it be? What can be the cause of these terrible "pricks" in the heart?
palpitations, nervousness, restlessness
Remember better. In addition to the fact that the pain is severe, makes it difficult to breathe, there is also often a feeling of mild nausea, abdominal pain, lump in the throat, frequent heartbeat, right? And also - a strong irritability, nervousness, sometimes hidden behind a forced outward calmness? This is a typical picture of a neurotic state, or, as cardiologists often say at the reception, heart neurosis.

The patient takes such conditions very hard, it seems to him that something terrible is happening to him, that he may die, that he is losing control of himself. This is really unpleasant, but believe me, it does not pose any threat to life. Therefore, first of all, the cardiologist will ask such a patient not to worry, to calm down, explaining to him the true state of affairs.

Such crises often occur in people who are emotional, strongly experiencing any, even the smallest events in life. And especially when the emotional load increases at work or at home. Conflict situations with the boss or colleagues, overload - mental and physical, problems in the family or with a sentimental partner - these situations are a provoking factor.

What should be done in this case? Calm down and be patient. The crisis is usually very short-lived, sometimes just a few seconds. Then be sure to see a doctor to do a cardiogram. Most likely there will be no pathological changes on the electrocardiogram. This will calm you down even more. Now you will definitely know that in such cases you need self-control and ... valerian. But the best thing is not to bring yourself to such situations. What happens during such a crisis is an alarm that your body gives, paying attention to the state of the nervous system. A signal that the stress you are under is excessive for you, and the adrenaline that is released at the same time begins to cause disturbances in the body, causing not only emotional changes, but also physical ones. That there is too much of him and he goes to the wrong place. The state of anxiety, fear, emotional stress reflexively causes the release of adrenaline in the body, activating all vital systems for the body. In an evolutionary way, a person has thus adapted to the fight - the physical reflection of an attack or to escape, in the face of imminent danger to life. If this adrenaline is not spent precisely on muscular work in accordance with the rights worked out over many millennia of human existence, it seeks to use itself in something else. And it can cause the most diverse and strange symptoms, which doctors call psychosomatic (“psycho-bodily”), most often copying the signs of many diseases.

What is the way out? There are two of them, if you look at the very root of the problem.

Do not accumulate adrenaline in yourself - be able to relax, reduce the level of sensitivity to irritating factors. To do this, you need to learn how to master relaxation techniques.
- Or to make sure that the accumulated adrenaline goes into action. Spend it on muscle work - exercising, walking at a good pace, doing housework, watching a funny movie.

A good psychologist, and even you yourself, by turning to books on psychological assistance, can improve your condition. Both in general and during the crisis. Medications are recommended in the initial stages of therapy and only on the recommendation of a doctor. Believe me, the family doctor knows better when, what and how much is needed. Don't worry and be happy!

Pain in the heart pressure

A cool approach differs from a non-cool one by the depth of the approach. We will get to the bottom of the cause of your "misfortunes" from the first minute and thus leave them no chance. The idea that is laid down in this chapter is practically the whole book "Hypertension" or the book "Heart attack", only squeezed out to a fresh state.

Where is cholesterol produced? In two places: at food industry enterprises in the form of cakes, ice cream, sausages, etc. in your own liver. Surprisingly, this notorious cholesterol is needed for digestion and harms blood vessels only if it acquires a low density and the ability to precipitate. Do not relax if the total cholesterol in the analysis is acceptable. The main thing is the percentage of the so-called. low density lipoproteins i.e. atherogenic coefficient. If the liver works like a quality oil refinery, then it gives out 98th cholesterol. For the majority, it loads leaded 76 with an admixture of diesel fuel. If there is a desire to delve deeper into this issue, you are welcome. But first, remember how often you wash your car, whether it smells nice when you open the window of your car in the city, what remains on the girl’s sponge during the evening makeup removal, and what color the water periodically flows from the tap. If, after this brief ecological study, there are still doubts about the need to tune the liver ...

In parallel, it makes sense to improve the microelement composition of the blood. First of all, the level of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium is of interest.

A lack of potassium causes muscle cramps, interruptions in the work of the heart. With a lack of calcium observed: tachycardia, arrhythmia. Silicon deficiency accelerates the development of atherosclerosis, due to a violation of the elasticity of blood vessels. With a decrease in the concentration of magnesium in the blood, symptoms of excitation of the nervous system are observed: early hypertension, a tendency to arrhythmia.

With copper deficiency, atrophy of the heart muscle occurs. Excess sodium provokes hypertension.

You have one heart, so do not self-medicate, consult a doctor.

Pressing pain in the heart

Dizziness, it can be both instantaneous and permanent;
Arrhythmia - irregular heartbeat;
Tachycardia - increased heart rate;
Dyspnea;
Pain in back, jaw and left arm;
Nausea, vomiting, accompanied by pallor;
bluish skin tone;
Fainting;

Pressing pain is rarely a sign of a heart attack. But, unfortunately, a heart attack has many hidden symptoms. Therefore, if there are any ailments in this area, you should not hesitate to visit a doctor. The timely established cause of ailments will help in the investigation to establish the correct diagnosis. After all, you can’t joke with the heart. The general condition of a person depends on his healthy work.

angina pectoris

With angina pectoris, a person feels a sudden pressing pain that occurs due to an acute lack of blood supply to the heart muscle. Angina pectoris differs from other diseases in that the pain occurs in a certain situation, it stops or subsides after taking nitroglycerin, it has the character of an attack, that is, it is not constant, but it occurs and then stops. Almost everyone is diagnosed with angina pectoris. After all, many felt pain in the chest area when walking fast, running, carrying weights, nervous shock. But you can't make a diagnosis on your own. Only an experienced cardiologist can do this. Before prescribing treatment, the doctor will conduct a series of examinations. First of all, you need to establish the presence of the following symptoms:

Where exactly is the pain located, with angina pectoris, it is felt behind the chest and is given to the neck, left arm, shoulder blade, forearm, and so on;
The nature of the pain, with this disease, it is pressing, compressing the entire chest, sometimes even burning, as with heartburn;

In addition, blood pressure is measured, with the onset of an attack, it rises, the skin of a person is examined, and a pulse is felt.

Prevention of angina pectoris

If the attack caught, for example, at work or at home, they began to feel pain in the region of the heart, then you should immediately take a comfortable sitting position. After putting a nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue, in people suffering from a heart, it should always be at hand. Also, to calm down, you should take Corvalol, valerian, and so on. In addition, people suffering from angina attacks should avoid physical exertion, emotional stress, take nitroglycerin for prevention, as well as long-acting drugs such as trinitrolong, nitromazine and others.

To be completely sure that everything is fine with you, sign up for a consultation with a cardiologist.

Video about fighting in the heart