Differentiating Between Cardiac and Non-Cardiac Chest Pain

It is not always possible to be certain about the origin of chest pain just by its characteristics as the variation between individuals is quite a bit. A medical opinion should be sought in case of any significant chest pain so that important ailment is not missed. There can be a lot of overlap between symptoms due to heart disease and disease of other nearby organs. Still some general observations are possible regarding chest pain originating from the heart. The typical pain of cardiac origin is a central chest pain which occurs on walking or other forms of exercise, known as effort angina. This pain is caused by insufficient supply of oxygenated blood to a region of the heart muscle. Effort angina is commonly due to significant obstruction to a blood vessel (coronary artery) supplying a part of the heart muscle. The pain can spread to the neck, lower jaw, arms and upper part of the tummy. Occasionally, pain may be felt only at these regions, without pain in the chest. Then it is known as anginal equivalent. A heavy meal may also bring out similar pain as the heart has to pump more blood to the stomach and intestine for the digestive process. Pain is likely to be more if you are walking after a heavy meal. Pain occurring after a meal is likely to be mistaken to be a disorder of the stomach. Pain of effort angina will be more when you are walking uphill rather than downhill, due to the higher level of exertion. It can also be more when you are walking against the wind and whi...
Source: Cardiophile MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs