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So you’re having chest pains; Is it a heart attack?
– Here’s what Dr. Zulfikar Bux has to say about this issue
Chest pain is one of the most common complaints that patients present with at the Emergency Room. It’s not
Dr Zulfikar Bux
always straightforward to figure out the cause of your chest pain, and the work up can be straightforward or become tedious.
There are numerous causes of chest pain; from acid reflux to the morbid “heart attack”. We will all have an experience with chest pain at some point in our lives. Determining if it’s a heart attack is not easy, but knowing if you’re high risk for a heart attack may help you decide on your need for medical intervention.
A heart attack, which is medically known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when there is insufficient blood flow to a part of the heart causing injury to the muscles of that area. This is usually due to a blockage in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart. This blockage would have developed over time, usually from fat and cholesterol deposits. One of the common symptoms associated with having a heart attack is chest pain.
The chest pain associated with a heart attack can be varying, but over time medical experts have found certain characteristic traits of the pain that increase the likelihood of it being a heart attack. We will now analyze the features of a chest pain which may indicate it being a heart attack.
NATURE OF THE CHEST PAIN
A chest pain from a heart attack is usually described as a tight, squeezing, or heavy pain. Pain from breathing is sharper in nature while burning pain usually goes more with acid reflux.
DIFFUSE CHEST PAIN
The chest pain from a heart attack is usually more diffused, while chest pains from other systems are generally more fixed.
MIGRATION OF CHEST PAIN
Having chest pains that radiate up your neck, arms, jaw, or to the right or left side of your chest, increases the likelihood of it being a heart attack.
AGGRAVATING FACTORS
Usually, chest pains that come on after exertion, stressful situations or cold weather, are more indicative of a heart attack than other causes. Chest pain aggravated by a cough is most likely respiratory in origin, while those aggravated by spicy meals may be from origins in the stomach.
CHEST PAIN ASSOCIATION
Chest pain associated with sweating, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, fatigue or fluttering of the heart, increases the likelihood of it being from a heart attack.
DURATION OF CHEST PAIN
Chest pains lasting for more than five minutes increase the likelihood of it being a heart attack when compared to those lasting less than 5 minutes.
The more of these characteristics you have, the higher the likelihood of you having a heart attack. In addition to chest pain, there are other factors which increase your risk of having a heart attack. We will discuss them in a subsequent article.
It is important to also know that if you’re having chest pains with no immediate relief, its best to visit a physician for a second opinion.
Understanding the characteristics of one’s chest pain is very helpful to physicians when they are questioning a patient to determine their risk of a heart attack. The more you know about your chest pain, the better it is for you, your doctor and of course, your heart.
(Dr Zulficar Bux is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Vanderbilt University and Medical Center and holds the position of Head of the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.)
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