Causes of Left Chest Pain – Chest pain will make sufferers feel worried. Chest pain can be felt in the left chest or right chest. The causes themselves vary. It’s important to know what conditions can cause chest pain. If you often complain of left chest pain, consider some of the causes in the discussion below.
Causes of Left Chest Pain
Usually left chest pain is often associated with a heart attack condition. When in fact, left chest pain can also be caused by other problems. It is very important for you to know what conditions can cause chest pain, as well as other symptoms, so that you can get the right treatment. Well, here are some conditions that can cause pain in the left chest.
Angina
Angina can cause a person to experience left chest pain. The cause of this condition is because the arteries to the heart become narrower, resulting in abnormal blood flow. A person who experiences angina will experience several symptoms such as chest tightness, sharp pain in the left chest or like muscle cramps, shortness of breath, so tired. This condition will usually occur when a person has done physical activity that triggers the heart to work hard.
Heart attack
The next cause of left chest pain is a heart attack. Heart attack itself is a condition where there is damage to the heart muscle caused by not getting oxygen-rich blood. A person having a heart attack will feel symptoms such as pain in the left chest, which this condition occurs suddenly. Chest pain that is felt like pressure, tightness in the chest cavity and like a squeeze.
Not only that, in some cases sufferers may experience pain and a burning sensation in the left side of the body. Even the left arm will become painful, stiff, like being stabbed and so on. This symptom may transfer to the right arm. In addition, the arm will feel sore, weak, even from its normal condition the arm will feel heavy.
If the chest pain is caused by a heart attack, you will suddenly become short of breath. Even some sufferers before a heart attack experience cold sweat. Left chest pain caused due to heart disease could have moved to the back.
However, not all sufferers experience these symptoms. Things you have to remember, if you experience chest pain suddenly or slowly, and for a long time, you should immediately have your condition checked by a doctor, so that you can deal with the problem you are experiencing quickly.
There are Lung Problems
Left chest pain can also indicate that you have lung problems. Lung infections can cause inflammation of the lungs, as well as the membranes around the lungs. One of the symptoms caused by this condition is pain in the left chest. Where the pain will be felt even more when you breathe, and is accompanied by coughing and gasping for breath.
Myocarditis
Pain in the left chest can be a symptom of inflammation of the heart muscle. Where this inflammation is caused by a virus. Not only chest pain, other signs if you experience this condition are shortness of breath, abnormal heart rhythm and fatigue.
This condition will affect the heart’s electrical system, weaken the heart or permanent damage to the heart muscle can occur. If it is like this, it will make the heart muscle unable to contract in pumping blood to the body. As a result, blood clots in the heart will occur, and can cause heart attacks and even strokes.
Digestive System Problems
Left chest pain can be caused by problems with the digestive tract. When a lot of gas builds up in the intestines, where the body hasn’t excreted all of the gas, it will cause gas to build up, as well as push up against the intestines which will cause chest pain. In addition, this condition can also be accompanied by several other symptoms such as flatulence and frequent belching.
Another digestive tract problem is GERD, which is a condition where stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. Gastric acid that rises into the esophagus can cause damage to the esophagus, and the heartburn feels painful.
Stress
Stress can also cause you to feel chest pain. The pain that appears can be in the left chest. If the stress you are experiencing is out of control, you will feel tightness in your chest. In fact, the feeling of tightness can get worse during stress. In addition, this lifestyle can put pressure on the heart, as a result the arteries tighten, and there will be left chest pain. (Also read: Adverse Effects of Stress on the Brain )
Cardiomyopathy
This condition can occur when the heart cannot pump blood or the function is not functioning properly. This is a condition when the heart muscle becomes weak, stretched, and there are problems in its structure.
Cardiomyopathy can cause symptoms such as chest pain accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, swelling of the ankles, feet, soles of the feet, neck and abdominal muscles.
Injury
Injuries to the chest such as pressure on the nerves and stretched muscles can cause pain in the left chest. Pain caused by pressure on the nerves can numb the arm.
Pericarditis
When the pericardium becomes inflamed or irritated, it will cause the left side of the chest or the center of the chest to feel like it is being pricked. Another symptom is that the sufferer may experience pain in one shoulder or both.
Damage to Muscles
Doing excessive exercise or coughing badly will make the chest muscles experience tension. Tense chest muscles or torn muscle fibers can cause pain, and there will be swelling both above and around the chest.
Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a condition in which a blood clot is blocked in one of the arteries in the lung. This condition can make the left chest feel painful, low blood pressure, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.
Lung cancer
Pain in the left side of the chest that does not improve can be a sign of lung cancer. In addition, other symptoms of lung cancer include continuous coughing, hoarseness, wheezing, bleeding phlegm, and inflammation of the lungs.
Those are some of the causes of left chest pain. In addition, there are several other conditions that can cause left chest pain. To find out the exact cause and how to deal with it, you should cons
ult and check with a doctor. Don’t ignore the chest pain you experience to prevent the condition from getting worse.
