For what reasons can a heart ache. Pain in the heart with various diseases - causes, nature, treatment

Heartache. It is this complaint that most often sounds from patients who come to see a therapist. This syndrome makes you worry and worried from the first seconds - according to statistics, heart pain forces a person to seek help from medical professionals from the first attack, and not to begin self-medication.

Pain in the heart: symptoms and diagnoses

According to the patient’s complaints, doctors can make a preliminary diagnosis - for various disorders in the functioning of the main organ, pain can be differentiated.

IHD - coronary heart disease

This definition combines two types of cardiac pathologies - angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Both are characterized by pain in the region of the heart, but there are differences both in the nature of the pain syndrome and in the overall clinical picture.

In more detail about coronary heart disease - in the video review:

Angina pectoris

In this condition, pain appears due to a significant narrowing. blood vessels heart (due to atherosclerosis or a large number of cholesterol plaques), as a result of which an insufficient amount of oxygen enters the main organ. In the vessels, an accumulation of lactic acid is formed, which causes pain. According to statistics, angina pectoris is often diagnosed at the age of 40 years and older, and pains become most intense during physical exertion.

The disease in question is characterized by acute attacks, burning pain, "spilled" throughout the chest, quickly passing after taking certain medications (for example, nitroglycerin).

note: An attack of pain with angina pectoris can take place in waves - unpleasant sensations either intensify, then subside, the pain radiates to the shoulder blade or arm, neck and interscapular space.

Cardiologists distinguish two types of pain during angina pectoris:

• with stress - this is considered an easier degree of pathology development, because the pain syndrome occurs only during physical exertion, increased blood pressure, stress, nervous breakdowns;
• at rest - uncomfortable sensations arise even during sleep, are in no way connected with stress and mean that angina pectoris acquires a health-threatening character.

Myocardial infarction

This pathology is considered a "logical" continuation of developed angina pectoris. The essence of a heart attack - the coronary vessels are so narrowed that the flow of blood to the tissues of the heart completely stops - some of the cells die. The following symptoms will be characteristic of myocardial infarction:

• burning, sharp pain behind the sternum, which does not stop for 5 minutes and does not change in the direction of improvement even after taking the usual medicines;
• drops sharply arterial pressure - in some cases, the patient loses consciousness (fainting);
• the skin becomes pale, the appearance of cold, sticky sweat;
• the patient experiences a strong sense of fear of death and may panic.

The causes of a heart attack are described in this review:

Important: heart pains characteristic of myocardial infarction require immediate medical attention - the condition threatens the patient’s life.

Arterial hypertension

A significant increase in blood pressure is classified in medicine as it is characterized by burning, aching pain in the chest area.

Pain due to increased blood pressure is quite easy to differentiate, because it is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• noise in ears;
• "flies" appear in front of the eyes;
• a severe headache attack, which is often localized in the temporal region;
• uncritical dizziness;
• heat is felt in the body, the face is hyperemic (has pronounced redness).

Pain in the heart under the condition in question most often occurs with the development of a hypertensive crisis - blood pressure rises suddenly and immediately to critical levels.

Cardiomyopathy

Any pain in the heart, not associated with a violation of oxygen supply, inflammatory or infectious processes in the main organ, is called cardiomyopathy. In this pathological condition, the pain is of a variable nature - aching or sharp, paroxysmal or constant, burning or stitching. Pain syndrome can occur both with excessive physical exertion, and at rest. Most often, a violation leads to cardiomyopathies. metabolic processes in organism.

note: pain in the heart with the pathology in question is in some cases relieved by the use of nitroglycerin.

Myocarditis

The inflammatory process that develops in the tissues of the heart muscle is classified as myocarditis and is always accompanied by pain in the heart. The inflammatory process can be caused by viruses, pathogenic bacteria and other pathogens.

The characteristic of heart pain in myocarditis is as follows:

• the pain may be aching or cutting;
• after taking nitroglycerin under the tongue, relief does not occur;
• the syndrome is not associated with excessive physical exertion or a nervous / psychoemotional state.

To pains in the region of the heart with myocarditis join:

• general deterioration of well-being - drowsiness, weakness, fatigue;
• hyperthermia (fever) to subfebrile indicators;
• the heartbeat becomes more frequent, but can at any moment freeze for a few seconds.

note: myocarditis can be completely asymptomatic, but this in medical practice is extremely rare.

Pericarditis

The outer membrane of the heart is called the pericardium and it is inflammation of this tissue that provokes the development of pericarditis. With such a pathology, the pain syndrome is of a very specific nature:

1. It never radiates to the left hand or neck.
2. The strongest pain localized - the patient marks them below and to the left of the chest.
3. Pericarditis is the only pathology of the heart in which the pain can “give” to the right side of the chest, the right arm.
4. The pain is sharp, sharp.
5. The patient with pericarditis will look for a position in which the intensity of the pain decreases - usually a person sits with his head bowed low.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

This disease is characterized by systemicity, in which the nervous regulation of the functional processes of the heart is disturbed. note: Heart pain on the background of vegetative-vascular dystonia most often occurs in adolescence.

Doctors distinguish several types of pain in the heart area against the background of vegetative-vascular dystonia:

1. Simple cardialgia. The pain in this case will be aching (very rarely takes a nagging character), short-term and does not require any specific medications.
2. Cardialgia of a vegetative type crisis. Pain syndrome has a long duration, but acute attacks not. With cardialgia of a vegetative crisis, in addition to pain, the following symptoms will be present:
   • dyspnea;
   • cardiopalmus;
   • feeling that there is not enough air;
   • a distinct sense of fear of death.
3. Sympathetic cardialgia. The pain is burning in nature, localized in the sternum. Distinctive feature sympathetic cardialgia - when feeling the ribs, the pain syndrome becomes more intense.

In more detail about the vegetative-vascular dystonia tells the specialist:

Arrhythmia

This is a disease that provokes a violation in the rhythm of the heart. Arrhythmia is easily diagnosed independently, because the uneven operation of the main organ is always pronounced:

• the heart beats either too often or literally freezes for a few seconds;
• pain in the sternum is non-intense;
• sudden general weakness and severe dizziness appear.

With arrhythmia, the pain radiates to the left arm, left side neck and interscapular space.

Pain in the heart, not related to organ problems

Pain in the heart can indicate pathologies of completely different systems and organs. It is interesting that the doctors carefully listen to the patient and note that if the patient tells in great detail about pain in the heart, characterizing them “hourly”, then most likely we are talking about the irradiation of pain in the heart region from other organs:

1. Duodenal ulcer / gastric ulcer and gastritis. Problems in the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are manifested by severe pain in the heart. To differentiate pain from the stomach with a real heart attack, you should know what symptoms accompany false heart pain in case of stomach pathologies:
   • nausea and vomiting;
   • severe bloating;
   • sour taste is present in the mouth.
2. Gastroesophagenic syndrome. With this disease, a portion of hydrochloric acid from the stomach is regularly released into the esophagus, which provokes a false heart attack. The pain syndrome is stitching and burning, can be localized to the left in the chest.
3. . In the inflammatory process in the lungs with localization on the left, quite severe, severe pains in the region of the heart can occur. They have a nagging and stitching character, often lead the patient into panic, especially if an imitation of a heart attack passes for the first time. To differentiate pulmonary pain from heart, the following symptoms should be noted or excluded:
   • dry cough;
   • increase in body temperature;
   • pallor of the skin;
   • severe shortness of breath.

In general, doctors believe that any pathology can trigger a false heart attack. For example, with acute respiratory infections and flu, intercostal neuralgia and osteochondrosis, there will be heart pain that only a specialist can differentiate.

Pain in the heart - treatment

When a first heart attack occurs, a person immediately turns to a cardiologist for help - heart pain really causes a strong sense of fear of death. The doctor should conduct a full examination of the patient:

• interrogation and examination of the patient;
• ultrasound examination of the chest;
• electrocardiogram;
• cT scan.

Only after an accurate diagnosis is made, recommendations will be given for the treatment of heart pathologies that provoke the appearance of pain in the chest. If there is an inflammatory process in the tissues of the heart, then you will need to undergo a course of treatment with antibacterial drugs (antibiotics), with a viral etiology of heart pain - antiviral drugs are required. An individual treatment regimen must be developed for each disease that causes heart pain.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical observer, general practitioner of the highest qualification category.

In this article, you will learn how heart pain manifests itself in its diseases, the main factors that cause unpleasant sensations. Nowadays, the pathology of the cardiovascular system is the main cause of death. Doctors are sounding the alarm about this, they are creating new drugs and technologies for fighting diseases.

Most people have complained of chest pain at least once. They do not always indicate heart problems. Everyone needs to know how the heart actually hurts, what symptoms may be. You will learn the causes and methods of dealing with heart pathologies.

This article will be useful to all readers, since heartache can occur in any of us. After all, timely diagnosis is a guarantee of a healthy heart.

The human heart, cardiac muscle is the central organ of the circulatory system. Every day, the human heart carries out more than 80,000 contractions, constantly being in the mode of active activity, cyclically changing the phases of rest and active contractions.

The human heart is located in the chest cavity, where it lies on the dome of the diaphragm. It is represented by a special type of muscle tissue. The human heart consists of four chambers, whose activity falls on a different period of the cycle. Between the cameras are valves that close and open in different phases abbreviations.

The heart always hurts unpleasantly. This organ is so sensitive that heaviness in the heart can occur due to poor ecology, gas contamination. As soon as oxygen is lacking in the heart muscle, a feeling of heaviness arises.

Severity in the heart muscle can occur due to frequent experiences, stress, nervous conditions.

Distress signals are always given by a feeling of heaviness and a slight tingling sensation in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart. Panic can occur even when there is no reason to worry. But in order to protect yourself from impaired functioning of the body with any unusual sensations in the heart, you need to visit a doctor.

The heart is an organ that does not tolerate self-medication. You can not postpone a trip to a specialist if a feeling of heaviness on the heart is constantly present.

Classification of causes

Pain in the heart is the most common reason for calling an ambulance or an urgent visit to a doctor. By genesis, doctors distinguish two large groups of heart pains:

• religious, which is experienced by a patient with a diagnosis of coronary heart disease at different stages of the disease;
• cardialgia arising from inflammation, congenital diseases or heart disease, as well as VVD (vegetative-vascular dystonia).

Religious heart pain is associated with insufficient blood supply to the myocardium; they are also called ischemic or angina pectoris. Usually they are paroxysmal in nature and arise with physical effort or under stress, that is, when there is a need for increased blood flow; to relieve pain, a person usually needs to calm down, relax and take medication.

Most often, religious pain is felt as burning, pressure, constriction; it occurs in the sternum, radiating to the left arm, shoulder, mandibular. It may be accompanied by a violation of the rhythm of breathing, a feeling of lack of air (shortness of breath).

If the patient is very sore in the region of the heart, he complains of burning, tearing, compressing or crushing sensations - it is necessary to suspect myocardial infarction in the acute stage and provide urgent medical attention.

The cause of cardialgia is rheumatic heart disease, affected heart muscle (myocarditis), inflammation of the pericardial sac (pericardium). The patient complains that the heart hurts for a long time: stabbing, aching, pain spreading on the left side of the sternum, aggravated by coughing and simply with deep breathing. Taking painkillers may bring some relief.

Another large group of reasons why a person has a heartache is not connected with the heart itself; in these cases, pain is provoked by damage to other organs:

• Pain in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart can be caused by thoracic radiculitis (or intercostal neuralgia), as well as pathologies of the costal cartilage. Such pain intensifies or worsens when a person bends, turns the body, breathes deeply, moves his hands. Standard "heart" drugs in this case do not affect the intensity of the pain syndrome.
• A rather severe pain spreading along the intercostal spaces can be the first symptom of the infectious disease Herpes zoster - shingles.
• In patients with neurosis, it also often hurts in the heart; attacks occur periodically, do not last long, localized in a small area. Patients define their condition as "stabbing in the chest", "aching", or find it difficult to characterize the sensations.
• If a person is stressed or depressed, he may experience pain localized in the neck and shoulder. The fear that a “heart attack” begins usually only exacerbates the condition; in fact, such pain is associated exclusively with muscle tension, and this can explain to the patient any cardiologist.
• Swollen intestines can also provoke pain in the heart: physical pressure Causes some cardiac functions to fail.
• It happens that pain in the heart region is caused by diseases of the stomach and pancreas. In this case, a person can trace a clear dependence of pain on the intake of a particular food or on hunger periods.
• Pain in the heart can occur with osteochondrosis, curvature or weakening of the spine in thoracicinfringement of the nerve root (cardiac nerve), etc.

To verify the presence or absence of heart and cardiovascular diseases, the patient should know how the heart hurts.

Diseases of cardiac originin which pain may be observed in chest:

• Heart attack.

This disease in its characteristics may be different. Most often, a person experiences a pressing pain in the center of the chest, which is characterized by irradiation to the left side of the body.

In addition, symptoms such as nausea, excessive sweating, irregularities in the rhythm of the pulse, a feeling of weakness, anxiety, and also often feel dizzy, can be observed.

In some cases, a heart attack can develop without any external manifestations, even unpleasant sensations in the heart can be absent. With an extensive heart attack, the patient loses consciousness, his lips and fingertips turn blue, difficulty breathing, and choking may occur.

If there is a suspicion of a heart attack, you should immediately call an ambulance, because delay can cost a person life.

• Cardiac ischemia.

CHD is usually associated with angina pectoris. At the same time, the heart can work intermittently, the pulse becomes frequent and irregular, dizziness and difficulty breathing occur. The patient feels heaviness and tightness in the chest. Irradiation to the shoulder blade, shoulders, arms, and throat is possible.

These symptoms appear most often with strong emotions or the performance of large physical exertion. When pain occurs at night or at rest, this is a dangerous sign.

• Pericarditis.

This disease is associated with inflammatory processes that occur in the outer shells of the heart. Pain is most acute when coughing and inhaling, they usually concentrate in the middle of the chest. Often they are accompanied by difficulties with breathing, increased heart rate.

• Myocarditis.

In this case, the pain may be stitching, pressing or aching. Often it occurs in the absence of physical loads. Also, it cannot be neutralized with nitroglycerin.

• Cardiomyopathy

Chest pain in this disease varies depending on the stage of development of the disease. Initially, they arise in the absence of stress, can last quite a long time, felt in different parts of the chest.

It is not possible to overcome such an attack with nitroglycerin. Over time, pain can occur in seizures in the form of a reaction to an overstrain. The possibility of stopping it with drugs also increases.

• Mitral valve prolapse.

An unpleasant sign in this case is not a reaction to stress or emotions. The area of \u200b\u200blocalization of pain becomes the left side of the chest.

The sensation can be oppressive, aching or aching, the effect of nitroglycerin is not amenable. This disturbance is accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, frequent pulse, difficulty breathing. Fainting also happens.

• Stenosis.

When this pathology is characteristic of the patient, a feeling of constriction of the chest may appear. A person quickly gets tired, breathes with difficulty, is weak, he is dizzy and fainting occurs.

• Thromboembolism.

The main symptom of this serious illness is severe pain, which becomes stronger when you try to take a deep breath.

However, there is no irradiation. A person’s blood pressure decreases, the skin may turn a bluish tint, the pulse is very quickened, and breathing difficulties occur. The use of nitroglycerin does not bring results.

• Aortic dissection.

If a person has this problem, he experiences severe pain, from which he can even lose consciousness. This disease requires immediate medical attention, otherwise the patient may die.

• Arrhythmia.

There are several types of arrhythmias, and some of them are characterized by pain that radiates to the left. In addition, there is a feeling of weakness, difficulty breathing, dizziness.

How to understand what a heart hurts

As already found out, it can hurt in the chest area not only because of cardiac pathology. This is due to the fact that all internal organs are interconnected by nerve endings.

To make sure that it is the heart that hurts, you need to contact medical institution for examination and confirmation or refutation of the diagnosis. The manifestation of heart pain directly depends on the reasons that provoked it, we will talk about the characteristics of pain later. Such pains can be:

• pulling;
• tingling
• aching;
• compressive;
• cutting;
• with recoil in the arm, under the shoulder blade.

Both sexes have similar heart pains, and differences in this symptom are dictated not so much by sex, but by individual characteristics. However threshold pain sensitivity different for men and women. The degree of activity of the antinociceptive system affects the pain threshold of men.

Neurotransmitter endorphins, which belong to the group of endogenous opiates, drown out pain. Since men have certain characterological features and are more prone to systematic physical exertion, endorphins in them are secreted more regularly and in greater quantity than in women.

The hormone testosterone, which by definition is many times higher in men, also positively affects the threshold. Such sexual characteristics of the perception of the pain signal lead to a late visit to the doctor, which delays the start of adequate therapeutic measures. Of course, not one symptom is treated, but the disease itself as a whole.

Than earlier treatment begins, the more effective it will be. It is noteworthy that regular intake of alcohol also increases the pain threshold, which increases the risk of coronary death, because the heart begins to hurt slightly and often after the onset of irreversible ischemic changes.

Typical soreness behind the sternum means the clinical manifestation of common angina pectoris. The heart hurts behind the sternum and radiates to the upper limb, collarbone, neck, lower jaw on the left. To determine the painful area, patients point to the mid-left chest area. These symptoms are very similar to myocardial infarction.

There are situations when a man focuses on areas of irradiation and describes them in the first place, which is already regarded as atypical angina pectoris. Sometimes individual characteristics of innervation internal organs determine the fact that it hurts at the level of the stomach, in the hypochondrium. The nature of this symptom in this case is more diffuse, bursting, crushing.

And sometimes vegetative symptoms come to the fore when the heart hurts, but not so much. With dextracardia, it hurts more on the right side.

How does heart ache in women

In most cases, the pain syndrome does not differ fundamentally from men, however, women react earlier and more actively to heart pain, due to their physiological high sensitivity and, accordingly, lower pain threshold.

Women are less likely to use substances that increase the pain threshold, are less likely to engage in activities that require physical activity, which determines their lower level of endorphins.

Their testosterone is many times lower than in healthy men, which contributes to the formation of a threshold of pain sensitivity. Most often, women experience such symptoms:

• ordinary cough;
• general weakness and pallor;
• fever;
• high or low blood pressure;
• general puffiness;
• dizziness in crowded places and motion sickness in any transport;
• frequent shortness of breath;
• periodic vomiting and nausea;
• pain in the neck or shoulder blades resembling ordinary osteochondrosis;
• pain in the chest;
• strong and frequent heartbeats.

As a rule, cough is a symptom of viral diseases, flu, colds and bronchitis. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to give special attention to such a minor symptom if expectorant medicines do not help. A dry cough that suddenly appears in a patient in a supine position is a reasonable cause for alarm.

Concerning general weakness organism and pallor, then such symptoms are signs of disorders and disorders of the nervous system. Such symptoms are characteristic of cardiac muscle neurosis, although they are often associated with other diseases.

Heart pain in young children and primary schoolchildren occurs for the same reasons as in adults. However, some causes in babies are diagnosed more often than their parents, others are much less common, while still others are not found in adults, and in children they disappear as they grow.

• If the vessels in the baby’s heart grow faster than the organ itself, and its blood supply is too intense, the child feels pain.
• Moving, emotional children complain that their heart aches after a quick run or walk.

Their vegetative system has not yet matured, and the body does not know how to quickly adapt to changing physical activity. But as soon as the child catches his breath and rests a little, the pain goes away. In adolescents, heart pain is accompanied by vegetovascular dystonia: it tingles on the left side of the chest and armpit.

Do not hesitate to visit a doctor if it is painful for a child to inhale fully or cough, especially if complaints have appeared a few weeks after a cold, flu or streptococcal infection (scarlet fever, sore throats). So viral myocarditis or rheumatism begins. Pericardial inflammation or cardiomyopathy can be suspected if the child complains that his heart is crushing.

However, panic ahead of time is not worth it! At the initial appointment, you will tell the doctor what worries you about the baby’s health, he will examine the child and ask, make a cardiogram, if possible, conduct a physical exercise test. Small child he still does not know how the heart hurts, he cannot always show exactly where he feels pain.

The baby cries and points to the chest, but it is quite possible that he is disturbed gall bladder, and the pain radiates to the sternum; in younger schoolchildren, pain begins with scoliosis or osteochondrosis. If a cardiological examination shows that the child is healthy, the doctor will refer the baby to a neurologist, gastroenterologist or orthopedist.

Tingling

If your heart tingles sometimes, don’t make yourself terrible diagnoses. Often it appears as a result of injuries or problems with the musculoskeletal system. A tingling can occur with such pathologies of the heart:

• angina pectoris;
• dystonia;
• pericarditis;
• myocardial infarction;
• thromboembolism pulmonary artery.

Diseases not related to the main human motor can lead to “false” tingling symptoms:

• intercostal neuralgia - differs from cardiac point localization;
• osteochondrosis - such a pain, unlike cardiac, passes after taking antispasmodics;
• instability of the nervous system - in addition to pain, there is insomnia and constant fatigue.

Also, one should not forget that tingling in the heart can be caused by overstrain during physical exertion, walking fast, the presence of a cold (flu, SARS).

The main "culprit" of chest pain with radiation to the left hand is called ischemia. Also, such a symptom is often noted with:

• angina pectoris or, as it is popularly called, "angina pectoris";
• heart muscle infarction;
• myocarditis;
• atherosclerosis (plaques reduce the lumen of blood vessels, thereby preventing the heart from functioning normally).

Pain in the heart and left arm can provoke diseases that are not related to the main organ, namely:

• inflammation in the front of the middle part of the chest cavity, this usually happens due to injuries of the digestive system. The return of pain to the left hand occurs during inhalation / exhalation, swallowing;
• periarthritis, arthritis, tendonitis of the shoulder joint, with such violations, the center of pain is the left shoulder joint, which radiates to the arm and chest;
• intercostal neuralgia located on the left side. A painful spasm usually causes an awkward body turn or arm raising;
• all kinds of pneumonia, pleurisy, tumors located on the left side respiratory tract. Usually in addition to pain there are: shortness of breath, cough, lack of oxygen;
• in women - formations of a different nature and inflammatory processes in the mammary glands. With such problems, tissues are compressed, to which the nearby lymph nodes react, spreading pain to nearby tissues;
• diseases associated with disruption of the autonomic nervous system, the manifestations of which can be pain in the sternum and aches in the left hand.

How a heart hurts with angina pectoris

With angina pectoris, the patient complains of pain, as if someone had stepped on his chest. Chest discomfort is described as a shrinking, interfering breath. It was this feeling that provoked in ancient times to call this ailment pectoral toad.

It can be localized not only near the heart, but also give to the left hand, shoulder, neck, jaw. Basically, the pain syndrome appears suddenly, and it can provoke a strong physical, emotional stress, food intake, deep breath. The duration of such pain is up to 15 minutes.

Myocardial infarction is an ischemic necrosis of heart tissue:

• in the process (during an attack) there are necrotic areas on the myocardium, a sudden sharp pain appears with radiation to the left arm and back;
• there is numbness of the limb;
• with a small area of \u200b\u200bnecrosis, the patient feels burning and squeezing in the sternum, but can stand on his feet.

The insidiousness of the pathology lies in the fact that the symptoms may be completely absent. The patient can only occasionally complain of discomfort in the chest. With extensive tissue damage, a person loses consciousness and requires immediate resuscitation, followed by hospitalization.

Pain with pericarditis

Pericarditis is an inflammatory lesion of a particular lining of the heart. Basically, such a pathology is a consequence (complication) of other diseases:

• Pain with pericarditis is felt in the middle of the chest, can be given to the back, arm.
• It is especially felt during swallowing, with deep inhalation / exhalation, coughing, in a prone position.
• It feels like a dull, aching pain in rare cases with a cutting feeling.

If you sit down or lean forward slightly, relief comes. In people suffering from this pathology, shallow breathing and heart palpitations.

With pericarditis, doctors come with complaints of stitching, pressing or aching pain in the region of the heart that occurs spontaneously, regardless of physical activity, and taking nitroglycerin does not lead to improvement.

How to distinguish pain from non-cardiac origin

Any tingling, pain, squeezing on the left side of the chest suggests thoughts about heart problems. Is it so? It should be noted that the nature of heart pain is different from non-cardiogenic manifestations.

1. Non-heart pains are characterized by:

• tingling sensation;
• shooting through;
• acute pain in the chest, left arm with coughing or sudden movement;
• do not disappear after taking nitroglycerin;
• constant presence (not paroxysmal).

As for heartaches, they differ:

• severity;
• burning sensation;
• compression
• spontaneous appearance, come in bouts;
• the disappearance (fading) after taking nitroglycerin;
• radiating to the left side of the body.

What to do if the motor hurts

Heart pain terribly scares a person, it seems to him that the state is catastrophic. From here, unnecessary stress can arise, which will further exacerbate the situation.

It is in order to prevent negative consequences, with the slightest ailment in the work of the cardiac system, the patient needs to visit a doctor. Here are some tips in case you cannot visit a doctor:

• The first thing to do in this situation is to calm down. Nervous in this case is strictly prohibited.
• An excellent sedative is the infusion of valerian or motherwort. You can take another soothing infusion on herbs.
• When heart pain is not recommended to go to bed, it is best to take a comfortable sitting position and relax.
• A nitroglycerin tablet placed under the tongue until completely dissolved will help reduce soreness in the chest area.
• As a sedative, you can drink a mixture of warm milk and iodine (10 drops of iodine per glass of milk). Drink 3 times a day, course for 2 weeks.
• Also, foot baths with the addition of mustard powder will help relieve heart pain.

With pain in the heart, it is very important to monitor your diet. The daily menu should include dishes rich in calcium and potassium. It is necessary to completely exclude from the diet alcoholic drinksstrong coffee and even tea. In addition, it is necessary to limit the consumption of flour, sweet, fatty and fried foods.

Preferred is boiled food. In the event that the ailment manifests itself regularly, then a person needs to take care of his physical condition. To do this, it is recommended to avoid nervous and stressful situations, play sports, and have a good rest - often walk in parks or forests, where there is fresh air.

It is important to remember that a sharp pain in the heart is a sign of serious diseases that only a specialist should treat. At home, you can relieve the attack of pain, but after that a visit to the cardiologist is still a necessity.

When a patient consults a doctor with a complaint of heart pain, the symptoms should be carefully studied and diagnostic procedures performed. This will help identify the cause of the deviation and prescribe the most appropriate and effective treatment.

The patient must strictly follow the medical recommendations and in no case self-medicate - this can be dangerous. Examining the activity of the heart, the following methods are used:

• Stress ECG (performed with physical activity using simulators).
• Holter monitoring (data is recorded during the day, while the patient performs his usual tasks).

To identify diseases associated with the activity of heart valves, phonocardiography helps. If there is a need to study the state of the heart chambers, an ultrasound of the heart is used. The work of blood vessels is examined using coronary angiography.

Because heart pain can occur due to problems with other organs, additional diagnostic methods may be required. It:

• MRI of the spine.
• Roentgenography.
• Blood test (general and biochemical).

In addition, a cardiologist can refer a person with such symptoms to a neurologist, orthopedist, gastroenterologist and other specialists for examination. Based on this, conclusions will be drawn about the causes of pain. Cardiologists say that certain conclusions can be drawn from the way the patient describes his condition.

When the patient is able to accurately characterize the sensations, the reason is usually not related to the heart. But if there are few symptoms described, and the person’s story is laconic, this indicates cardiac pathology.

Most drugs are sold over-the-counter and should be at home. You can get acquainted with the types of drugs in the article:

• Validol.

It has a calming effect, is useful for eliminating stress. In the fight against angina pectoris, the drug is ineffective, to enhance the action, the simultaneous use of nitroglycerin is recommended. Both funds are placed under the tongue and absorbed.

• Corvalol.

It has a strong calming effect, helps with intercostal neuralgia. Available in the form of tinctures and tablets.

Attention! It is proved that Corvalol adversely affects the vital functions of the liver. When applying, you need to consult a doctor.

• Acetylsalicylic acid.

Familiar aspirin is able to cope with pain in the heart, just one pill is enough. Chew the drug well.

• Cardiomagnyl.

It has an analgesic effect, in addition, does not harm the stomach. A single dose of one tablet. These remedies will help when your heart hurts at home.

Important! Any drug must be approved by a specialist.

In ancient times, there were no modern medical facilities; people successfully healed heart ailments with the gifts of nature. How to help a sick heart? Many recipes have survived to the present day and help when the heart hurts and the hand goes numb.

1. Garlic. Eating two cloves of garlic daily will help prevent heart pain.
2. Hawthorn. In the treatment of heart pain, an infusion of berries will help. For cooking you need:

• take the berries of red hawthorn - 20 g and grass lemon balm - 15 g;
• put in a glass, add boiling water and send to a water bath;
• cook for 20 minutes, then cool and strain through cheesecloth.

Infusion can be drunk 20 ml before each meal. The course of treatment is two days. You can make tincture of hawthorn: berries are not poured with water, but vodka and infused for 14 days in a dark place.

Herbal harvest.

To prepare the dosage form, herbs of a succession, motherwort, lingonberry leaves and chamomile flowers with hawthorn will be required, they are taken in 20 g each and mixed thoroughly.

Now take 25 g of the composition, place in a glass and pour boiling water. Insist 4 hours, then strain through cheesecloth, squeezing the infusion. Drink 50 ml at a time, in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. The duration of treatment is 14 days.

Wild carrots for heart pain.

The recipe is useful in that you can cook at any time. The medicine has the form of infusion, to prepare you need 60 g of wild carrot seeds pour 250 ml of vodka.

The remedy is infused for 20 days in a cool place and protected from sunlight. For the prevention of pain, 6 drops per 20 ml are used. water. Drink three times a day. If severe pain occurs in the heart, then drink 3 drops every 30 minutes.

Heather grass.

On the basis of the plant, an infusion is prepared that will help eliminate pain. In the process of preparation, 10 g of a dry plant is filled with 200 ml of boiling water and infused in a water bath for 5 minutes. Drink 50 ml with an interval of 4 hours.

May lily of the valley.

This recipe is time-tested, it has come down to our days from ancient times. How to cook: take a liter jar and fill the plants with flowers for three quarters; pour vodka on the neck and cover; insist 20 days, then strain.

For use, you need to dissolve 20 ml of tincture in water. Take water in a ratio of 1:10. Drink no more than three times a day.

Attention! The plant is very toxic and should be used with caution.

Mint and lemon balm.

These plants can’t cope with heartache, but they will calm the nerves, which will favorably affect the treatment. The recipe is simple:

• herbs taken in 25 g, pour 250 ml of boiling water;
• insist an hour, then filter;
• drink 25 ml 20 minutes before a meal.

Attention! Peppermint lowers blood pressure.

Update: October 2018

A healthy heart is a prerequisite for a long and full life. Pain in the region of the heart, at a minimum, requires careful attention to yourself. If they arise, then there always appears wariness and anxiety. “Heart, heart, what happened that embarrassed your life?” Do cardiac pains always indicate problems with the heart and how to distinguish them from other pains - in this article.

Heart region - where is it?

The projection of the heart onto the anterior chest involves the area from the upper edge of the cartilage of 3 ribs to the lower edge of the sternum. The apex is projected in the 5 intercostal space 2 cm inward from the line crossing the middle of the clavicle. The right border goes from the cartilage of 3 ribs to 5 intercostal spaces on the right.

Usually any discomfort in the left half of the chest is taken as heartache, regardless of the nature and intensity. But a typical arrangement of heart pain is the area behind the sternum and to the left of it to the middle of the armpit.

Features of the spread of heart pain are the appearance of reflected pain (left in the scapula and under it, in the hand). Sometimes reflection is isolated, for example, with 4-5 fingers of the left hand, with the left jaw. Rarely, pain radiates to the right arm or left shoulder.

The nature of pain in the heart

The description of the patient’s suffering is very important at the first stage of diagnosis. Exactly detailed description pain allows the doctor to navigate in the direction of the search and minimize the additional examination methods.

When questioning a patient, the following are taken into account:

• conditions for the occurrence of pain (in the load or after, at rest, communication with food, at night or day)
• the nature of the sensations (stabs, squeezes, achs, cuts, crushes, constantly or periodically)
• pain duration
• after which they cease.

Causes of pain in the heart

Heart disease:	Diseases of the stomach and esophagus:	Toxic effects:
ischemic disease (angina pectoris, rhythm disturbances, myocardial infarction, post-infarction) endocarditis pericarditis myocardiopathy myocardial dystrophy secondary lesions in the background diabetes mellitus, uremia, hyperthyroidism heart injuries tumors	esophagitis foreign bodies esophagus stomach ulcer tumors esophageal stenosis mallory-Weiss syndrome chemical burns of the esophagus and stomach gastric bleeding, ulcer perforation.	medicines alcohol heart poisons nicotine drugs
Heart Overload:	Pulmonary pathologies:	Pathology of large vessels:
at arterial hypertension volume with thyrotoxicosis pressure in portal hypertension (e.g., with)	pneumonia pleurisy tuberculosis silicosis tumors of the lungs or large bronchi	aortic aneurysm, including its dissection coarctation of the aorta pulmonary thrombembolism
Mediastinal diseases:	Lesions of the nerve trunks:	Bone lesions:
mediastinitis neoplasms	intercostal neuralgia herpes zoster	fractures and fissures of ribs pain with blood tumors
Muscle damage:	Skin lesions:	Pathology of the mammary glands:
stretching rhabdomyoma	boils carbuncles	mastopathy (gynecomastia in men) benign tumors

Compressive pain

This is a typical cardiac pain, informing about the oxygen deficiency of the heart muscle. It is characteristic of almost all forms of coronary heart disease. With angina pectoris, compressive pain in the chest in the region of the heart or behind the sternum gives typical reflections under the scapula and left arm. It occurs during the load and passes independently at rest or from taking nitroglycerin, which dilates blood vessels and redistributes blood between the layers of the myocardium.

Patients with various variants of rhythm disturbance are also concerned about such pain:

• it is most typical for atrial or ventricular fibrillation
• frequent extrasystoles
• paroxysmal tachycardia
• intracardiac blockade
• often the pain is accompanied by a fear of death and necessarily an uneven pulse
• the equivalent of pain in some cases is shortness of breath, indicating circulatory failure.

Atypical compressive pain under the left scapula, in the region of the heart, can occur at rest, in the early morning hours against the background of a spasm of the coronary arteries (Prinzmetal angina).

Sharp pain

This option of pain always signals the need for emergency care, and therefore does not allow you to switch to anything else. The condition can be described and how sharp painsince it arises suddenly.

Angina pectoris

A protracted angina pectoris with a typical location and reflection of constricting severe pain is the result of incipient thrombosis, embolism, or severe stenosis of the coronary vessels. At this stage, nitroglycerin helps poorly, but timely medical assistance able to prevent the death of the heart muscle. If, after taking Nitroglyceria twice with a break of five minutes, the pain did not go away. It is necessary to call an ambulance.

Myocardial infarction

This is actually necrosis of the heart wall. Here is the only treatment in specialized hospital able to save the patient's life and maintain its further quality. With myocardial infarction, the pain is very pronounced, protracted, not stopped by nitro drugs, accompanied by fear of death, a feeling of lack of air. sweating, hand tremors. It can also be atypical, for example, give it to the stomach or imitate intestinal colic, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, convulsions, involuntary urination. Some heart attacks pass with a slightly expressed pain syndrome, which does not lose its sharpness, but the pain is more tolerant. When pain is stopped only by antipsychotic analgesia using powerful painkillers.

Diseases of the esophagus and stomach

The second option of a dangerous sharp pain in the heart is a catastrophe with the esophagus and cardiac section of the stomach. Perforation of a cardiac ulcer will give dagger pain, which will entail vegetative disorders in the form of lightheadedness. flickering flies before the eyes, dizziness or loss of consciousness.

For the esophagus, bleeding due to frequent vomiting (Mallory-Weiss syndrome) or from dilated esophageal veins with portal hypertension against cirrhosis is more typical. The rate of loss of consciousness and the severity of circulatory disorders will depend on the volume of blood loss. In any case, ulcer perforation or bleeding is a reason for surgical care.

Pulmonary Thrombembolism

This is a blood clot sailing from the pelvic system or lung arteries. The more branches of the pulmonary artery are thrombosed and the larger they are, the more pronounced and intense the pain. In addition to her, there is a cough with blood, shortness of breath, palpitations, swelling of the cervical veins. With thrombosis of large trunks, collapse and loss of consciousness develops. It is also an emergency requiring emergency care and hospitalization.

Aortic Aneurysm Stratification

More common in older men with prolonged unregulated hypertension, atherosclerosis, or coarctation of the aorta. A provoking factor may be heart or aortic surgery. Most often, the ascending part of the vessel is stratified. In this case, a longitudinal rupture of the inner membrane leads to the accumulation of blood between the layers of the aorta. Suddenly there is a sharp tearing pain behind the sternum or in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart, extending under the scapula. At the same time, pressure rises first. and then drops sharply. The asymmetry of the pulse on the extremities is noted, the skin turns blue. Sweating appears, fainting may develop. Disorders of motor activity become neurological manifestations. A hematoma can lead to oxygen starvation of the heart, shortness of breath, hoarseness. Often patients fall into a coma.

Rib fracture

Sharp pains are characteristic for. Subsequently, the nature of the pain changes to aching or gnawing.

Pressing pain

In cases of overload of the heart, pressure on it or dull pain can be felt.

• This variant of pain can also occur in healthy people, for example, with excessive physical exertion, playing wind instruments that increase pressure in the pulmonary circulation.
• With arterial hypertension, the heart has to pump blood against a pressure gradient, which impairs its blood supply and increases the load.
• Thyrotoxicosis leads to increased heart rate and overloads the heart with volume.
• Cardiac tamponade is the result of wounds and compression of the heart with blood. Also, the heart can squeeze the effusion with pericarditis of various origins (tuberculosis. Tumor).
• With myocarditis of an infectious or allergic nature, non-intense pressing pains are accompanied by shortness of breath, rhythm disturbances, heart failure.
• Myocardiopathy, myocardial dystrophy, neoplasms of the heart also give oppressive sensations without a clear connection with the load, prolonged or episodic.
• Pressing pains behind the sternum mimic the foreign bodies of the esophagus or esophagitis.
• Intoxications of various nature (medicinal, narcotic, alcoholic), as well as poisoning with organophosphorus substances, ether, chloroform, and neurotoxic plant poisons give pressure to the heart, are combined with arrhythmias and heart failure, and are fraught.
• Purulent pathologies of soft tissues, mastopathy. will also give over pressure in the projection of the heart.
• High ones also lead to a situation where pressing pain mimics cardiac pathologies.

In order not to get into the situation of Tom Sawyer, who was not strong in anatomy and hid the donated flower closer to either the heart or the stomach, you can use the comparison table to distinguish the pains in the stomach from the heart.

Stitching pain

If the heart stabs occasionally, the pain is not accompanied by disorders of the blood flow (no fainting, dizziness, memory or speech disorders), as a rule, it is not dangerous.

• Most often, stabbing pain in the heart gives neurocirculatory dystonia, in which the vessels do not have time to adequately narrow or expand when the load changes.
• Rarely stitching pains are accompanied by infrequent extarsystole,),.

Strong pain

• Unbearable pain can be with a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, stratification of an aortic aneurysm. Often this is 10 out of 10 points. Patients are excited, rushing around. Feel intense fear of dying.
• 10-9 points on a scale of intensity gives mediastinitis - inflammation of the mediastinum. When a purulent process develops due to complications of surgical treatment, injuries of the esophagus, decay of tumors, the pain forces patients to take a forced position with their chin pressed to their chests. It intensifies when swallowing and tilting the head. There is also fever, sweating, agitation or confusion, swelling of the upper half of the body.
• Angina pectoris gives pains from 6 to 8 points.
• Myocarditis and pericarditis from 5 to 2.

Aching in the heart

The more intense the rhythm of modern life becomes, the greater number patients complains of pain in the heart in the cardioneurosis program. Such patients have absolutely no organic changes in the organ or vessels feeding it, or they are insignificant.

• there is only a high degree of neurotization
• depression
• anxiety disorder
• often cardioneurosis develops in the framework of somatized depression.

Dissatisfaction with oneself and the outside world, not going outside in behavioral characteristics, erupts in the form of pains in the region of the heart. At the same time, patients are haunted by many unpleasant sensations: pressure on the heart, sinking of it with a sigh, aching pains and anxiety for their health.

Often, fixation on a non-existent cardiac pathology makes a person repeatedly examined, change specialists and clinics, significantly poisoning his life. At the same time, an experienced psychotherapist or group correction could solve the problem in a short time.

Pain in the heart: what to do

If you suspect a malfunction in the heart, it is better to overestimate the risks and immediately contact a therapist or cardiologist. After questioning and examination, the doctor will prescribe:

• urine and blood tests
• chest x-ray
• if necessary, bicycle ergometry, treadmill and ECHO-cardioscopy.

Such tactics will allow you to react in time to a real heart disease or, in a short time, to verify its absence and to save extra nerve cells. In addition, under the cardiac pathology, other serious and not very diseases are often masked, which are also desirable to diagnose and treat in a timely manner.

A word - to the resuscitator of a specialized brigade, chief specialist in cardiology of the Emergency and Emergency Station medical care named after A.S. Puchkov of Moscow Alexey Sokolov.

If there is pain in the heart, it is important to act collectively and clearly. After all, this symptom can be a signal of serious problems, up to the acute coronary syndrome, which is a set of pathological reactions of the body that occur during the development of myocardial infarction. In order to prevent a heart catastrophe and correctly orient the ambulance dispatcher, you need to pay attention to the following nuances:

Where does it hurt?

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

How does it hurt? A heart attack is characterized by compressive, pressing, burning, sometimes tearing pain. “Pain arose in her right shoulder ... Then she crawled to her chest and got stuck somewhere under her left nipple. Then, as if a calloused hand penetrated into the chest and began to squeeze the heart, like a bunch of grapes. Squeezed slowly, diligently - one-two, two-three, three-four ... Finally, when there was no blood left in the squeezed heart, the same hand threw it indifferently ... ”- described the attack of 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 physical exertion or stress, but can also occur at rest, for no apparent reason.

Where does it give? Most cardiologists are alarmed by complaints of pain behind the sternum, which gives in one or two shoulders and especially in the ... jaw. Some mistakenly take such pain for a toothache and at the end of the attack they even go to the dentist, not suspecting that they were halfway to a heart attack. The fact is that in the projection of the cervico-thoracic spine there pass the nerves along which the innervation of both the heart, the chin region, and the region of the shoulder joints go. 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: urgently need to dial “03”.

Does the pain depend on the movements? Answering this question, it can be assumed what causes the resulting pain syndrome - with a cardiovascular problem or intercostal neuralgia, diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis). If a person’s pain changes or intensifies during inhalation, exhalation, and movement of the 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 an occasion to call an ambulance.

Is there shortness of breath? For shortness of breath, requiring serious attention, a sudden, acute onset is characteristic. Especially if the feeling of lack of air arose for the first time, at rest or during a person’s usual physical load (cleaning an apartment, walking, on the way to work), and decreases when a person crouches down or lies down. Sometimes coronary heart disease (CHD), pulmonary hypertension, acute coronary insufficiency, painless form of myocardial infarction, and pulmonary embolism can occur by this type.

However, shortness of breath can also be of neurotic origin, after emotional stress, when stress hormones are released into the blood, 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 down or lie down on a bed with a high headboard, provide yourself or the victim with an influx of fresh air, stop any physical activity, try to count the pulse and measure blood pressure.

With pains in the heart, one- or two-time administration of nitrospray is not forbidden (better when sitting or lying down, 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 nitro drug does not relieve pain or does not relieve 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 administration is undesirable.

Pain in the heart does not always indicate a disease of one or myocardial infarction. This is often associated with diseases of the spine or chest organs. For proper first aid, it is important to know the signs of "true" heart pain.

Causes of pain in the heart

Pain in the region of the heart Chest pains can occur in people of absolutely any age under absolutely any circumstances. Not always a similar condition signals a heart pathology. Conventionally, all pains that occur in the chest can be divided into pains of cardiac origin and extracardiac.

Cardiac causes include:

1. Pathology of the digestive system:
   • some diseases of the esophagus;
   • diseases of the stomach, pancreas and gall bladder.
2. Respiratory diseases:
   • pleurisy;
   • pneumonia;
   • pneumothorax;
   • severe forms of bronchial asthma;
   • tuberculosis.
3. Vascular pathology:
   • pulmonary embolism;
   • stratified aortic aneurysm.
4. Diseases of the neuromuscular system:
   • osteochondrosis of the cervical spine or thoracic;
   • intercostal neuralgia;
   • various myalgia.
5. Viral diseases:
   • shingles.
6. Diseases of the nervous system:
   • panic attacks and various dystonia.

Cardiac causes of pain:

1. Myocardial infarction.
2. Chronic coronary heart disease.

Description of the symptoms of pain depending on the disease

Quite often, many people with chest pain do not pay attention to their nature and therefore mistakenly believe that the discomfort is associated precisely with heart disease. Features of pain in the chest directly depend on the cause and degree of disease progression.

For example, often the cause of burning sensations behind the sternum is commonplace heartburn. The reason is gastric juice entering the esophagus. These pains are often accompanied by belching and a sour taste in the mouth. With heartburn, discomfort is clearly associated with eating, i.e. occur after eating. Often occur when bending or when the body is in a horizontal position. Taking antacids removes a burning sensation in the chest. Absolutely similar discomfort is possible with a disease such as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). One of its manifestations is heartburn.

Pain and heartburn can cause a disease such as esophageal spasm. With it, there is a violation of swallowing due to the fact that the lump of food does not move correctly in the direction of the stomach. This is due to the uncoordinated work of the muscles of the esophagus. Another pathology is achalasia. The disease is a malfunctioning valve between the esophagus and the stomach. In this condition, the food lingers for some time in the lumen of the organ, causing discomfort and pain in the chest.

Pancreatic inflammatory diseases ( pancreatitis) and gall bladder ( cholecystitis) may cause pain in the lower chest. With a disease such as cholelithiasis ( cholelithiasis) There are also painful sensations that can easily be confused with heart pains.

Among pulmonary diseases, chest pain can occur with pleurite (inflammation of the tissue lining the chest cavity) or pneumonia (pneumonia). A characteristic feature of these pathologies is the presence of cough or increased pain when inhaling. These inflammatory diseases almost always lead to fever. Pleurisy may be a complication of pneumonia.

Such pain often appears in diseases of the pulmonary system, such as severe bronchial asthma or pneumothorax. The last disease is the appearance of free air in the chest cavity, as a result of which the lung collapses.

There are several major vascular non-cardiac causes, causing pain behind the sternum and associated with the pathology of the pulmonary vessels. Refers to them pulmonary embolism or increased pressure in the vessels supplying the lungs with blood - pulmonary hypertension. In this case, the pain intensifies sharply when inhaling, a cough may appear.

Another lesion of large vessels causing chest discomfort is stratified aortic aneurysm. This condition is extremely dangerous for human life. A characteristic feature is a gradual change in the localization of pain. In the beginning, unpleasant sensations appear in the region of the heart and gradually descend to the lower abdomen. Very often, an exfoliating aneurysm is accompanied by a sharp decrease in pressure, tachycardia and loss of consciousness.

A very common cause of chest pain is thoracic osteochondrosis, cervical spine. The pains with this pathology are very similar to those with angina pectoris: they radiate (give away) to the shoulder blade or left arm. The only difference is the fact that the pain becomes more intense with movements, tilts of the body, turns of the head or raising arms.

At intercostal neuralgia and titz syndrome stitching pains are localized in the sterno-costal joints or along the intercostal spaces. In this case, the pain increases sharply with a deep breath. As a result, a person cannot breathe deeply. This condition is stopped by taking any analgesic anti-inflammatory drugs.

Various inflammation of the muscles of the chest and back often lead to discomfort and discomfort in the heart. The nature of the pain is approximately the same as with osteochondrosis and intercostal neuralgia.

A herpes virus caused by a herpes virus such as shingles accompanied by damage to nerve endings and causes severe pain in the chest. With it, the sensitivity of the skin sometimes increases. Rashes may appear at the site of the lesion.

Panic attacks, nervous disorders and some dystonia are often causes of pain in the heart. Such diseases in the vast majority suffer young people with labile nervous system or after stress. Pain can be of any nature.

In addition to the diseases described above, the causes of pain can be "truly" cardiac pathology. Most often, discomfort behind the sternum occurs when angina pectoris. The disease is often accompanied by pressing pains in the heart, which gradually increase their intensity during physical exertion or stress. The reason is the narrowing of the lumen of the vessels supplying the heart muscle as a result of their sclerosis or spasm. Often at rest, the pain stops on their own.

The most dangerous of the most common diseases of the cardiovascular system is myocardial infarction. With this disease, a sharp cessation of nutrition of a certain part of the heart muscle occurs due to blockage of the artery. Pain can be given to the shoulder blade, neck, shoulder, left arm. Associated symptoms are cold sweat, shortness of breath, sometimes nausea.

Other cardiac pathology, accompanied by pain behind the sternum, may represent inflammatory changes ( myocarditis, endocarditis or pericarditis) This happens after bacterial or viral infections.

Differential diagnosis of chest pain

The first diagnostic measures that must be performed when discomfort occurs in the chest area, calm down and listen to the nature of the pain, its dependence on physical activity, body position, possible emotional stress.

Self-diagnosis and self-medication in this case are fraught with dangerous consequences. Due to the fact that pain can signal a dangerous pathology, consultation with medical specialists is required.

The next steps to determine the pathology are to consult a doctor. It is mandatory to consult a therapist to prescribe a series of instrumental examinations or to refer to a narrower specialist.

It may be necessary to consult such doctors as a pulmonologist, neurologist, surgeon, gastroenterologist, vascular and cardiac surgeon, psychiatrist, infectious disease specialist. In mild forms of nervous disorders, a psychologist's consultation is sometimes sufficient.

Instrumental research

To determine the cause of chest pain, quite often an examination by medical specialists is not enough. In order to clarify the diagnosis, it is often necessary to additionally have to resort to various instrumental diagnostic studies. Due to the fact that pain in the chest can be caused by the pathology of various systems and organs of the body, most examinations are associated not only with the study of the state of the heart. The main ones are:

• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• FEGDS (fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy) - the study of the condition of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum;
• chest x-ray or radiography;
• FVD (determination of the function of external respiration);
• Ultrasound of the heart, aorta and pulmonary vessels;
• radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine;
• electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography (EchoCG), exercise tests;

How to understand what hurts the heart

If there is pain in the heart area, it is extremely important to determine the cause to provide proper first aid. The most dangerous pathology leading to discomfort in the chest area is associated with a violation of the cardiovascular system.

To identify true heart pains, it is enough to perform a few simple manipulations, which with a high degree of probability will indicate whether discomfort is associated with heart pathology.

The first thing to do is to understand whether there is a dependence of pain on the position of the body, whether it intensifies with torso, arms, or a deep breath. If so, then most likely the cause is a disease of the musculoskeletal system (osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia, etc.).

Indirectly, even the nature of the pain can, with a considerable degree of probability, “say” about the cause. With cardiac pathology, it is often crushing, often accompanied by shortness of breath. Severe stress with existing discomfort in the chest can also indicate cardiac pathology. If the unpleasant sensations behind the sternum intensify in proportion to the physical activity performed and stop after doing it, then with almost one hundred percent confidence we can talk about angina pectoris (deficiency of blood enrichment of the heart muscle during exercise).

What to do if your heart hurts: first aid

In the event of the above clinical manifestations, it is important to stop all physical activity as soon as possible. It is necessary to take a lying or semi-sitting position. The next step is the calculation of heart rate (heart rate) by heart rate and an approximate determination of blood pressure (blood pressure). With high blood pressure, Captopril (Kapoten) or Clonidine (Clonidine) can be taken under the tongue.

In case of impossibility to "feel" the pulse on the wrist and the presence of dizziness or nausea, it is worth suspecting low blood pressure. In this case, in addition to the supine position, it is extremely important to raise the legs above the level of the head. To do this, you can put any item under them.

In almost any condition, you can take sedative drops (Valerian, Corvalol, Motherwort, Hawthorn) or a Validol tablet. The most effective drug for heart pain is Nitroglycerin.

Rules for taking Nitroglycerin:

1. The drug should be taken in a recumbent or semi-sitting position.
2. Accepted only before the relief of pain, i.e. if the pain disappears, the need for it disappears.
3. The maximum number of tablets used is 3 pcs.
4. Possible simultaneous simultaneous administration with Validol.
5. It is applied only sublingually (under the tongue) with an interval of 5 minutes.
6. If you are allergic to Nitroglycerin, it can be replaced with a drug from the group of calcium channel blockers (Nifedipine, Phenigidin). Contraindicated in pronounced tachycardia.
7. Nitroglycerin should not be used with low blood pressure.

If all the measures taken have not led to the disappearance of pain, you must call an ambulance for emergency ECG removal to exclude angina pectoris, ischemia or myocardial infarction. In addition to electrocardiography, it is important to take a blood test as soon as possible to determine the concentration of troponin in the blood - a protein whose amount increases dramatically when muscle tissue is destroyed, in this case with a heart muscle infarction.

The treatment of all pains in the heart area is completely dependent on the pathology that caused these sensations. The method and treatment option is determined by a specialist of that profile, which disease causes discomfort in the chest.

Complications of diseases associated with pain in the sternum

Pain in the region of the heart, arising for any of the reasons, can lead to completely different consequences, even death. However, the most common of these are damage to specific organs.

Chest pain due to a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract can be complicated by diseases such as:

• perforated ulcer of the stomach or duodenum;
• gastrointestinal bleeding;
• the formation of malignant tumors;
• B12-deficient anemia.

Pathology of the lungs, accompanied by pain in the heart, has the following common complications:

• lung abscess;
• various infectious processes up to sepsis (blood poisoning).

Vascular diseases, in particular, pulmonary embolism and stratified aortic aneurysm in most cases lead to death. Diseases of the spine can be complicated by intervertebral hernias and, in the worst case, spinal stenosis and disability.

True heart pain most often results in myocardial infarction, the development of heart failure, or death due to cardiac arrest. Uncupable heart rhythm disturbances may occur, which will also ultimately lead to circulatory failure.

True Heartache Prediction

The prognosis of chest pain of cardiac origin can be completely different. If sensations discomfort appears amid stress, then in most cases the outcome of this condition is favorable. This is due to the fact that with nervous disorders there is an increased release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which narrows the vessels and increases the heart rate. As a result of this, the oxygen demand of the heart increases. And in view of the narrowed vessels there is a circulatory deficiency. Together, this leads to heart pain.

If pain appears during physical exertion, then we are most likely talking about angina pectoris. This disease has a less favorable prognosis, because with increased myocardial oxygen demand, the vessels of the heart cannot provide full access to it. This may indicate a change in the vessels that feed the heart. With this pathology, the risk of developing myocardial infarction increases.

Symptoms arising at rest, often indicate the development of a disease such as unstable angina pectoris. People call this preinfarction condition. Such a condition is more likely to lead to a heart attack or even sudden cardiac death.

If a pains in the heart area are severe and cannot be stopped by taking Nitroglycerin, then in this case the forecast is the most unfavorable, because, most likely, myocardial infarction develops. The prognosis of this pathology is unpredictable. A person can live for many years in a satisfactory condition, with certain restrictions, or die from cardiac arrest and circulatory failure. It all depends on the type of heart attack and the state of the cardiovascular system.

Thus, only one conclusion is true that pain in the heart can have absolutely any reason. Accordingly, the outcome is also very different. For very intense pains that cannot be relieved by Nitroglycerin, emergency consultation of medical specialists is required. The cause of any pain in this area should be diagnosed in time to prevent possible complications and improving the quality of life.