Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Is Left Sided Chest Pain is Always Due to Heart Attack

Everybody knows that the heart is situated in the left side of the chest. Therefore, many thick that heart attacks always causes left sided chest pain. But, this is not true in most of the cases. Many people who present with left sided chest pain are finally diagnosed to have some other disease such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, pneumonia, musculoskeletal pain etc. People with heart attacks (ischemic heart disease) usually present with constrictive or tightening type of central chest pain.

Heart is a visceral organ. Therefore, it is supplied by the autonomic nervous system.As a result it gives rise to phenomenon called 'referred pain'. That is why the patients usually complains of radiation of pain to the upper arm, shoulders, neck jaw etc. 

In some instances heart attack can present with no chest pain at all. This is commonly seen in uncontrolled diabetes patients because, their nervous system has been damaged due to hyperglycemia.

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