Chest pain can be a symptom of a heart attack and should be considered heart-related until proven otherwise. All chest pain should be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.
Most chest pain is not a sign of anything serious but you should get medical advice just in case. Get immediate medical help if you think you're having a heart attack.
You should also visit the ER if your chest pain is prolonged, severe or accompanied by any of the following symptoms: Confusion/disorientation. Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath—especially after a long period of inactivity. Excessive sweating or ashen color.
You want to call 911 if you are having sudden, crushing chest pain or if your chest pain radiates into the jaw or the left arm. You want to call 911 if your chest pain also causes shortness of breath, or dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.
It could be a lung disorder, such as a blood clot to the lungs, known as a pulmonary embolism. Additionally, other causes of chest discomfort include spasm of the esophagus, diseases of the aorta, gastroesophageal reflux disease, musculoskeletal pain, fast heart rhythm abnormalities and costochondritis.
Noncardiac chest pain affects up to 25% of adults in the U.S. Between 50% and 75% of chest pain cases presenting to emergency rooms are discharged without a cardiac diagnosis. These cases are classified either as unexplained, as stress- or anxiety-induced or as NCCP.
The normal EKGs and ECHO that you have had are good indicators that your heart is healthy. The chest pains do have to be addressed because it can be an early sign of narrowing in the arteries of your heart. You should make sure you see your doctor regarding the chest pains.
Chest pain is frightening and must be taken seriously. So know this: If you are having severe discomfort in the chest—especially if the chest pain is radiating to your neck, jaw or arms—and it's accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness and sweating, call 911 immediately.
In general, though, anxiety chest pain may feel like: Tension, tightness, and pressure: You might experience a mild, constant tightness or a sudden, intense tightness in your chest. You may also feel like it's difficult to breathe or that your heart is beating out of your chest.
Blood tests check the level of cardiac troponins. Troponin levels can help doctors tell unstable angina from heart attacks. Your doctor may also check levels of certain fats, cholesterol, sugar, and proteins in your blood. Chest X-ray looks for lung disorders and other causes of chest pain not related to heart disease.
Some of the first tests a health care provider may order when diagnosing the cause of chest pain include: Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This quick test measures the electrical activity of the heart. Sticky patches called electrodes are placed on the chest and sometimes the arms and legs.
Chest pain is the top symptom of a heart attack. If you're having a heart attack, every minute you wait to seek help increases your risk of permanent heart muscle damage and death.
Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is chest pain in patients who do not have heart disease. The pain can be felt behind the breast bone. It can be squeezing or pressure-like. It may extend to the neck, left arm or the back.
How It Feels. Chest pain from a heart attack often feels like a large amount of pressure, tightness, burning, or squeezing in the chest. In comparison, chest pain that feels like a sharp or knife-like pain resulting from coughing or breathing is likely not due to a heart attack.
There are many causes of chest pain besides a heart attack. Some of the most common include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), anxiety, muscle strain, costochondritis, pleurisy, pneumonia, hiatal hernia, and panic attacks among others.
If the pain keeps coming back, see a doctor within a few days. Chest pain that disappears may have been caused by a minor infection, a muscle spasm, or a similar issue. Seek emergency medical care if the pain is: intense and does not go away.
What does myocarditis chest pain feel like? It's common to feel a sensation of tightness or squeezing in the chest, either when at rest or when active. It could also happen if you're lying down. You may have chest pain that feels sharp or stabbing, and chest pain/discomfort may spread to other parts of your body.
A: Not necessarily. While some heart attacks do feature classic symptoms like chest and arm pain, the idea that they all do is FALSE.
A person with a heart condition may have a normal ECG result if the condition does not cause a problem with the electrical activity of the heart. In this case, your doctor may recommend other tests, including: physical examination (listening to heart sounds)
Chest pain can last for a few minutes or hours. In some cases, it can last six months or longer.
An ECG can help detect: arrhythmias – where the heart beats too slowly, too quickly, or irregularly. coronary heart disease – where the heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances. heart attacks – where the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked.
The symptoms of non-cardiac chest pain are chest pain that may be associated with difficulty swallowing, pain when swallowing, regurgitation of food, or a sensation of food getting stuck.