Pain in the region of the heart

According to statistics, pain in the heart is the most common reason for people to go to the ambulance service. However, often this symptom is not at all a sign of a violation in the work of the main muscle of the human body.

Diseases of nerves, bones, joints and even organs of the gastrointestinal tract - all this can be accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the area of the breast. It is difficult to diagnose and that the heart in different situations can hurt in different ways. It is only the doctor who can determine exactly what caused the "punctures" or the pulling pain. But how can you understand what is painful and need to sound an alarm?

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Causes of pain in the region of the heart

Often, pain in the heart appears for one of these reasons: 

• impaired cardiac muscle nutrition;
• disease of the cardiovascular system, heart, its membranes and large vessels;
• as well as a number of other human diseases.

Pain in the heart can also be manifested under different circumstances: both after sports and physical exhaustion, and in a state of complete rest.

If the pain attacks after physical exertion are concentrated in the area behind the breastbone, they are given to the lower jaw, neck, left arm and under the shoulder blade and at the same time you feel pressure, constriction or burning - you need to make an appointment with a cardiologist as soon as possible. Because, it can be in angina (one of the forms of coronary heart disease).

With a cold, the pain in the heart area can be a manifestation of a reaction to toxins of microbial origin. Or to testify about endocarditis.

If the pain in the heart arises in a state of rest and is manifested by prolonged tingling or aching sensations in the left half of the chest, this is most likely a nervous one.

The unpleasant sensations on the left side of the chest that arise in young people may not have anything to do with matters of the heart. The cause of pain during a deep breath or with a swing of the hands may be malfunctioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Imitate the pain of the heart can and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. If after overeating, abundant consumption of fatty and spicy food, or even on an empty stomach begins to ache in the chest - do not postpone the trip to the gastroenterologist or therapist. So the ulcer of a stomach, a cholecystitis, a gastritis and a pancreatitis can be shown.

Causes of pain in the region of the heart

[6], [7], [8]

Symptoms of pain in the region of the heart

Pain in the heart can manifest itself in a variety of sensations: from short-term tingling in the chest to long, aching, constrictive pains and a feeling of suffocation.

Tell me how it hurts, and find out what it is.

As we have already explained, all the causes of pain in the heart can be safely divided into two large groups: those that are related to the work of the main muscle of a person, and those that are not connected with it in any way.

The main "cardiac" causes of discomfort in the chest are myocardial infarction and angina pectoris.

According to the definition, myocardial infarction is one of the forms of ischemic heart disease. As a result of the discrepancy between blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium) and its oxygen demand, its necrosis occurs. The reason for this, as a rule, is a blockage of the vessels of the heart. Long, more half an hour of unceasing pain in the region of the heart, which does not subside even after taking nitroglycerin and "gives" to the left scapula and arm - a bright sign of a heart attack. Another sign of this disease is cold, sticky perspiration on the patient, rapid pulse, and sometimes shortness of breath. It is important to remember that at any second the condition can become complicated. Arrhythmia and shock can cause death.

Another exceptionally cardiac cause of discomfort in the chest is angina, the most common heart pain. It arises from the limitation of blood flow to the arteries. This is due to fatty plaques that limit the flow of blood to the heart muscle. As a rule, it is preceded by an attack of physical stress or stress. Pain, which lasts an average of about a minute, patients describe as a squeezing or squeezing in the chest. In this case, unpleasant sensations can also "give" to the shoulder, neck and left arm.

Also, such attacks can be caused by excessive eating and alcohol intoxication.

In addition, pain in the region of the heart can be a manifestation of inflammation of the heart shirt - pericarditis. A viral infection provokes this ailment. With pericarditis, unpleasant sensations have an acute, stitching character. It is possible that patients may also develop fever and malaise.

The cause of pain in the heart can be aortic dissection. Such cases, however, are quite rare, but they are nevertheless ascertained. As a rule, they come after a chest injury or a complication of hypertension.

A doctor can determine the cause of pain precisely. But at least approximately understand what the patient is dealing with, you can by defining the nature of the pain.

Aching pain in the region of the heart

Aching pain is subject to the hearts of all ages. Quite often they are complaining about adolescents and women in menopause. The cause of this is a disruption in the hormonal background. Therapy of these patients is, often, in the correction of nutrition, the intake of vitamin and mineral complexes and frequent walks in the fresh air.

Meanwhile, as already mentioned, it is the aching pain in the heart area, especially in cases when it appears after physical exertion, can be a manifestation of angina pectoris.

Prolonged aching pain in the region of the heart, manifested against the background of excitement, may be the result of nervous breakdowns, autonomic dysfunction and depression.

The cause of aching sensations in the left part of the chest with deep inspiration and sharp bends of the trunk can also be covered in "malfunctioning" of the musculoskeletal system. This may be a scoliosis or osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine.

If unpleasant aching sensations in the heart area are associated with eating, then, most likely, it is a violation of the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. And thus, they can remind of themselves gastritis, ulcers and pancreatitis.

[9], [10]

Stitching in the region of the heart

The strongest stitching or cutting pain is a classic symptom of myocardial infarction. With it, painful sensations can "give" to the neck, back, shoulder and the entire left arm. However, approximately only 12% of cases stabbing pains are a sign of a heart attack.

Stitching pain in the heart can cause and coronary spasm, which should pass after taking 1-2 tablets of nitroglycerin.

In addition, this kind of pain is typical for pericarditis (inflammation of the serous membrane of the heart caused by viral, fungal or bacterial infections) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hypertrophy of the wall of the right or left ventricle of the heart).

Also, it is the "piercing" in the heart that often manifests the so-called neurosis of the heart. In this case, there are no problems with the main muscle of the human body. A stitching pain is a manifestation of the stress experienced. In this case, the pain has a clear localization. And, therefore, should not spread to other parts of the body. Neurosis of the heart is common among young people who regularly suffer from tonsillitis, frontal sinusitis, sinusitis or dental disease.

Pressing pain in the region of the heart

It is sudden, pressing pain in the heart that is a symptom of angina pectoris. Discomfort is felt behind the chest and gives in the neck, arm, shoulder blade, forearm ... Unpleasant sensations can give in the hand to the little finger. Pain in angina is of a different nature. Sometimes, in addition to pressing, compressing the whole thorax, sensations appear, and burning, as with heartburn.

Pressing pain in the heart and shortness of breath manifested myocarditis - an infectious disease with damage to the heart muscle. In this case, the legs may also swell and the pulse may become more frequent. Myocarditis occurs as a complication of the cold.

Pressing pain in the heart area is typical for mitral valve prolapse (heart disease, in which the mitral valve flaps in the left atrium occurs during contraction of the left ventricle).

Severe pain in the region of the heart

With vertebrogenic cardialgia, the patient feels a strong enough and persistent pain in the region of the heart. This can lead to osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine. In this case, the pain increases when the position of the body changes. Such symptoms often resemble angina pectoris. Confirm or refute the diagnosis can be done by MRI of the spine.

Another cause of severe pain in the left side of the chest can be shingles. This infection, caused by the herpes virus, affects the nerve endings.

Sharp pain of the region of the heart

Acute pain in the heart is characteristic of pericarditis. Painful sensations can also be accompanied by fever and general malaise.

Acute pain in the chest, including in the left part, growing with coughing and even with inspiration, can indicate pleurisy. Most often it arises as a consequence of the transferred pneumonia.

Burning pain in the region of the heart

Burning pain in the heart is another sign of myocardial infarction. However, these sensations do not always indicate a violation in the work of the main muscle of the body. And such burning sensation can occur after eating excessively spicy food.

In addition, burning pain in the heart is also found in neurosis. Such pain, as a rule, is short and passes after the use of herbal infusions, for example, valerian.

[11], [12]

Drawing pain in the region of the heart

In myocardial disease, a person can experience painful and aching pain in the region of the heart. True, they should not be very intense.

Also, drawing pain in the heart can be a sign of thrombosis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, ischemic heart disease and even evidence of a pre-sulphurous condition.

In addition, the drawing pain in the heart area worries patients with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, for example, with osteochondrosis. Similar sensations occur with inflammation of the shoulder-scapular joint. An important detail: in this case, discomfort increases with left hand movement.

Meanwhile, drawing pains in the heart are often a sign of diseases of the stomach, intestines or pancreas. They can arise with chronic gastritis, ulcers, enterocolitis, colitis and pancreatitis. In some cases, pulling pain in the heart can be associated with inflammatory processes in the bile duct.

[13], [14], [15], [16]

Diagnosis of pain in the region of the heart

To accurately understand why a person experiences pain in the heart, he needs to undergo a thorough medical examination. Methods that can help determine the cause of discomfort: 

• Electrocardiography (including stress ECG and holter monitoring of ECG).
• Blood test (myocardial infarction damages the heart cells, which leads to the release of certain enzymes, which is what the blood test should show).
• Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart, allows you to assess the condition of muscles and valves).
• Electro-beam tomography (this method allows early coronary heart disease).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI will help determine the cause of pain in the chest, if it is associated with the infringement of the nerve roots or the presence of herniated intervertebral discs).

If a person goes to a medical institution with a complaint about pain in the heart, he will most likely have to consult a cardiologist, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, and possibly even a gastroenterologist.

To diagnose the neurosis of the heart, it is necessary to carefully examine the cardiovascular system and exclude the presence of organic diseases (such as coronary heart disease, vice, myocarditis and others), as well as pathological conditions on the part of the respiratory, digestive, and so on.

Diagnosis of pain in the region of the heart

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Treatment of pain in the region of the heart

The main rule says: doctors should diagnose and treat. Doing self-medication of heart pain, even if they are not related to the work of the main muscle of the body - is dangerous. After all, as it was said before: pain in the heart is a symptom that can arise as a result of a huge number of different causes. And the treatment, respectively, will be very different. If you know your diagnosis, but the pain overtook you, it will help you to remove the attack by several recipes.

If the pain is at home

The patient with angina pectoris should, first of all, be put in bed, give access to fresh air and call doctors. It is necessary to give a tablet of nitroglycerin under the tongue, and until the pain subsides, continue taking the drug. In the absence of nitroglycerin, validol can be given. It is advisable that the patient is taken to a medical facility on a special vehicle. It is important not to forget: a prolonged attack of angina may lead to the necrosis of the myocardium - to a heart attack!

With myocardial infarction, the patient is "prescribed" a strict bed rest with the exception of any movements. It is necessary to take nitroglycerin and analgin, if necessary - repeatedly. Do not interfere with the lubrication of the heart area with nitroglycerin ointment. Even the suspicion of a heart attack is an indication for compulsory admission to a cardiac hospital. It is important that the movement of the patient is carried out by special resuscitation transport. After all, on the way to the patient, it may be necessary to carry out a complex of resuscitation measures.

In case of myocarditis, the patient, first of all, must be put in bed. Standard treatment regimen: 20-25 drops of cordiamine 3 times a day. In addition, one tablet of caffeine is also three times a day. But before treatment it is necessary to consult a doctor. It is important to remember that non-observance of bed rest can lead to chronic heart failure in the future.

If you first experience pain in the heart and do not know what exactly caused this unpleasant sensation, the main thing is not to worry. You can take 40 drops of valocardin (corvalol, Validol). Provide for yourself peace. You can also take 1 tablet of aspirin and analgin. If in a quarter of an hour the pain in the heart area does not abate - call the doctor.

Remember, nitroglycerin is quite a serious remedy for heart pain. And if there is no certainty that the unpleasant sensations caused the heart, it is not recommended to take it.

When treating the heart, proper attention should be paid to nutrition. It is necessary to adhere to the anti-cholesterol diet. The basis of nutrition should be: 

• Food with a fairly large number of common, fruits, dried fruits.
• Rye, wholemeal or bread with bran.
• Seafood.
• Chicken breasts, veal and other low-fat meat.
• Low-fat fish.
• Low-fat milk and dairy products.
• Nuts and seeds.
• Natural juices, berry fruit drinks, broth of wild rose.

When choosing products in stores, you must carefully read the labels. For people with a distressed heart, foods high in sodium, fat and cholesterol are contraindicated.

With neurosis of the heart, first aid, as a rule, consists in ingesting 25 drops of valokardin, tinctures of valerian or corvalol. At night it is desirable to take a sedative or hypnotic. It is necessary to give up smoking and alcohol. In the depleted, the treatment of cardioneurosis should be aimed at eliminating the traumatic situation or the correction of the attitude towards it. In some cases, a course of treatment with sedatives, beta-blockers, antidepressants is prescribed. The scheme is chosen strictly individually for each individual case.

Meanwhile, physiotherapy is also used to improve and restore the heart, central and autonomic nervous system.

The most studied is the use of physiotherapy in the so-called stable angina, postinfarction cardiosclerosis, and also in the rehabilitation of patients who underwent myocardial infarction. True, this method has a number of contraindications, for example, cardiac asthma, heart and vessel aneurysm.

The choice of the method of physiotherapy directly depends on the degree of disturbance of the cardiovascular system. With stable angina of stress, myocardial infarction, and after the operation of aortocoronary shunting I use the method of electrosleep. Patients with the same diagnoses also "prescribe" galvanotherapy or electrophoresis, in particular the collar region and the heart area.

Magnetotherapy (low-frequency magnetic field) helps to reduce platelet aggregation and improve microcirculation. This allows it to be used in the treatment of patients with stable angina pectoris

In ischemic heart disease, low-energy laser radiation is used. Also, with stable angina, balneotherapeutic procedures are used. Apply common carbonic, hydrogen sulfide, radon, chloride sodium and other types of mineral baths. Treatment scheme is approximately this: baths are used every other day (from the second half of treatment), duration is 10-12 minutes. The course lasts 10-12 baths.

Also used are hydrotherapy in the form of contrast baths and therapeutic showers, including an underwater shower-massage. The benefits of water procedures, as a rule, are manifested in a decrease in the consumption of oxygen for the work of the heart, the elimination of coronary metabolic imbalance.

Balneotherapy and hydrotherapy are also used to rehabilitate patients with painless form of coronary heart disease and cardiosclerosis, which can manifest as heart failure and heart rhythm disturbances.

But still, cardiosurgery is the most effective method of treating certain types of heart defects and coronary heart disease, at least for the time being.

Of course, surgical intervention is used only in the case when conservative methods of treatment no longer help, and the patient's condition worsens. Also, heart surgery can result in untimely treatment of the patient to the doctor. In other cases, surgery is often the only option.

One of the types of surgical intervention in coronary heart disease is angioplasty and stenting of the coronary arteries. This method is designed to remove the obstruction of blood flow by expanding from the inside of the artery.

The method of aortocoronary bypass is to create a new path of blood flow around the affected area of the coronary vessel by means of shunts - pieces of arteries or veins taken from the patient himself. This way you can prevent myocardial infarction.

In addition, operations on the installation of valvular prostheses are carried out on the open heart. And also the plastic of the defects of the interventricular septum. To heart transplant doctors dare in extremely critical cases.

Treatment of pain in the heart by alternative methods

But you can treat pain in the heart by alternative methods. Of course, they are not an alternative to medical treatment, but only an addition.

Recipe # 1

750 grams of garlic is scrolled through a meat grinder. Put the resulting mixture in a three-liter jar. The rest of the can is filled with lemon juice without peel. On average, you need about 45 lemons. Next - we take a dense fabric, or two layers of gauze, close the neck and leave for 15 days in a cool dark place. When the mixture is ready, take 1 teaspoon and a quarter cup of water in the morning and at night. The recipe is proven, it is said to be more than 5 thousand years old.

Recipe number 2 (the most useful for cleaning the vessels and for the prevention of stroke)

Half a cup of dill seeds is covered in a one-liter thermos. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped valerian root. To fill the thermos to the top. Infuse 12 hours. Strain and take 25 grams three times a day for half an hour before meals.

Recipe number 3 (for various cardiovascular diseases)

Cook 20 eggs for 10 minutes. After that, separate the yolks, add to them 1 glass of olive oil and send to the oven for 20 minutes. After - mix well. Store the resulting mixture in a refrigerator. Take 1 teaspoon before meals. The course of treatment is 10 days. After a week break, the course is repeated.

Prevention of pain in the heart

Cardiovascular disease remains the leader in the list of causes of death of people. And one of the reasons for this, without exaggeration, is disaster - our culinary preferences. There are simple rules of the diet, adhering to which, you can reduce the risk of heart disease in the future. The main thing is not to eat foods that increase the risk of heart disease. And this: 

• fried foods, fatty sauces and mayonnaise.
• salt and spicy spices.
• fat meat, meat products with a lot of salt (bacon, ham, sausages, smoked meat).
• Smoked and salted fish, fish sticks and canned food.
• soups and second fast food.
• pickled vegetables.
• chips, nuts and crackers with salt.
• fat whole milk, sour cream, creams.
• dough, confectionery with a lot of sugar.
• alcoholic drinks, beer, sweet fizzy drinks.

A good protector of the heart is the fish. Include in the diet it should be at least five times a week. This will help strengthen the heart and improve memory. When choosing a preference, it is better to give mackerel, herring, sardine, trout, salmon and perch.

Eliminate cholesterol from the body with olive oil.

In addition, at least once every six months, it is necessary to be examined by a cardiologist. To lead a correct way of life, to go in for sports (in moderation) and to avoid nervous overstresses and various stressful situations. And remember that, whatever character and duration did not have pain in the heart, it can not be ignored.