February may be Heart Health Month, but listening to your heart is vital year-round. Staying proactive and learning about your health can pay dividends in the years to come. Heart health may not always be at the top of our minds, but there are times when it explodes into focus.
You receive a phone call, and a family member has been taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a heart attack. You may experience a sharp pain in your own chest.
Naturally, you wonder what might have caused this. Is this something you should be concerned about?
Early detection of potential problems can prevent them from becoming more dangerous.
Let’s take a look at some of the more commonly asked questions related to chest pain, including when and how you can do something about it.
Commonly Asked Questions About Chest Pain
Am I Having A Heart Attack?
The immediate fear many of us associate with chest pain is a potential heart attack. Chest pain can be caused by blockages in the arteries that supply the heart with oxygen.
This blockage of blood flow is called ischemia, and when it happens in the heart, it’s considered coronary artery disease. A relative lack of blood flow to heart tissues causes angina, or a feeling of pain, pressure, tightness, or burning in your chest.
A more complete blockage of blood flow leads to a myocardial infarction or heart attack. In recent years, some of the differences in symptoms between men and women have come more into focus.
Recognizing these differences has the potential to save lives, particularly because some of the symptoms in women may be more easily ignored.
The common symptoms in both men and women are:
- Pain or discomfort in the chest.
- A feeling of immense pressure on the chest.
- Pain in the arm or shoulder.
Women may also be more likely to experience:
- Shortness of breath.
- Cold sweat.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Back, neck, or jaw pain.
For women, some of these symptoms can be more subtle and may lead to assumptions that there is another cause.
Awareness may help you or a loved one receive the care you need more quickly. If you feel you or a loved one is having a heart attack, call 911 for emergency assistance.
Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?
Yes. Noncardiac chest pain, or NCCP, is responsible for roughly half of emergency department visits, and many of these are ultimately attributed to generalized anxiety disorder or panic attacks.
Anxiety triggers a “fight or flight” response, and many physical symptoms are brought on by a release of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. Muscles tense, the heart races, and in some instances, there may be a sharp, stabbing pain in the chest.
Pain associated with a heart attack often comes in waves or gradually worsens over time, but it can also be sudden. This potential for overlap ultimately leads to the recommendation to be evaluated in an emergency department — if it is a heart attack, time is crucial.
Many without a formal diagnosis of anxiety also wonder, “Can stress cause chest pain?” For patients with established coronary artery disease, the answer is yes.
Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia, or MSIMI, is often associated with day-to-day chest pain, potentially due to increased oxygen demand. When your heart isn’t receiving enough oxygen, you may experience chest pain.
Conversations related to mental health have become more open in recent years, but there is still a hesitancy to seek help.
Taking the time to evaluate your overall health can help you determine if there is a serious underlying problem and can also open the door for helpful conversations about stress management techniques.
Can Gas Cause Chest Pain?
Ultimately, yes, gas can cause chest pain and discomfort. Trapped gas in the intestinal tract can cause abdominal pain. If this gas is physically located further up in your body, it can cause sharp chest pains.
Similar to the variable sensations experienced among different individuals with a heart attack, the way this pain or discomfort feels may vary between individuals.
Changing positions can help — it will not help if it’s a heart attack — and ultimately, passing the gas will provide relief.
If you’re constipated, taking steps to get things moving through your digestive tract will help resolve trapped gas.
Can Constipation Cause Chest Pain?
Constipation itself does not typically cause chest pain, but it could be considered a contributing factor if gas becomes trapped in the digestive tract. Eating foods with plenty of fiber, staying physically active, and staying hydrated can help keep things moving in your digestive tract.
Can Dehydration Cause Chest Pain?
Dehydration can, in a sense, contribute to chest pain.
As you become dehydrated, you become volume-depleted, which essentially means there’s not as much volume in your blood vessels. This causes blood pressure to drop, and you may feel dizzy, extremely thirsty, etc.
You may also have heart palpitations, as your heart is working harder to keep blood flowing. If you have existing coronary artery disease, this extra strain on the heart may cause chest pain.
Estimates of the rates of chronic dehydration vary widely, but it has been suggested that many people are at least mildly dehydrated much of the time.
Chronic dehydration has also been explored as a potential risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.
Regardless of your current health status, it’s important to make sure you’re drinking enough water each day.
What About Chest Pain When Swallowing?
Chest pain when swallowing can be caused by different conditions affecting the esophagus.
Esophagitis, or inflammation of the esophagus, can be caused by a number of factors ranging from infections to a potentially overactive immune response, as may be the case with eosinophilic esophagitis. More commonly, it’s the result of GERD or acid reflux.
Heartburn symptoms have notoriously been mistaken for heart attacks at times, and it may be somewhat of a relief to receive this diagnosis.
Chest discomfort associated with GERD should be taken seriously, however, in part due to a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer if treated ineffectively.
Consistent follow-up with your doctor can help you stay on top of symptoms, promote comfort in the short term, and protect your long-term health.
Esophageal spasms are less common but can also be quite painful. Under normal circumstances, the smooth muscle in the esophagus coordinates the movement of food into the stomach. Spasms can prevent foods and liquids from traveling appropriately but can also occur in the absence of food. These can last anywhere from several minutes to several hours, and the pain is indistinguishable from a heart attack. Ultimately, emergency care is advised to help you receive an accurate diagnosis and the appropriate care.
Chest Pain When Lying Down?
Pain that goes away when you shift positions may be less likely to be a heart attack, but there is still some potential for overlap. Chest pain that becomes worse or begins acting up when you lie down can have several different causes.
- Heart: In addition to the potential for this type of pain to be caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart, it can also be caused by inflammation. Primary examples include pericarditis, or inflammation around the heart, and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart itself. These are often associated with recent illness (some cases have been linked with COVID-19 in recent years), and the pain caused by this inflammation is often worse when lying down.
- Lungs: Chest pain caused by pneumonia can be worse when lying down because of the way fluids settle within the lungs. Pneumonia is often accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue, and fever.
- Acid Reflux: When you lie down, your stomach acid may be more able to move into your esophagus, causing discomfort. In addition to medications, it may be helpful to elevate your head while sleeping to keep gravity working in your favor.
How To Tell If Chest Pain Is Muscular
A pulled muscle or muscle strain in the chest can sometimes cause sharp chest pain.
Intercostal muscle (the muscles between your ribs) can become strained after lifting heavy objects or enduring a particularly difficult coughing fit. This type of pain can be heavily dependent on your body’s movement and positioning, but it can also occur with deep breathing.
Checking in with your doctor is recommended because painful breathing can also be a sign of serious infections like pneumonia or a dangerous blood clot like a pulmonary embolism.
How To Check Heart Health
A common theme among chest pain symptoms is the overlap of sensations like pain or discomfort you may feel, regardless of the cause.
Ultimately, medical care is needed to distinguish between a life-threatening lack of oxygen reaching the heart vs. a potentially more benign cause.
Regardless of the cause, supportive and preventive care is beneficial.
It can be helpful to be aware of some of the questions your doctor may ask you so you can be better prepared for your appointment and give them the context they need to provide you with the best care possible. Some of these questions may include:
- When the pain or discomfort started, and whether it was during rest or brought on by exertion.
- What makes the pain worse.
- Location of the pain, i.e., pinpoint or spread out.
- How long the pain lasts, and how often it occurs.
- Other symptoms, like calf pain or swelling, recent illness, heartburn, shortness of breath, etc.
- Previous history of heart attack, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
- Drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.
There are several exams that can help determine the cause and confirm your current overall health status.
In some instances, a computed tomography or CT scan is recommended because it can provide additional information about the health of your heart and the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen.
Many individuals also choose to schedule a CT scan in order to detect potential problems early.
This can provide peace of mind and help you adjust your lifestyle if needed to avoid potentially serious complications down the line.
CT Heart Scan
A CT scan may be particularly helpful if you have:
- A family history of heart disease.
- A history of smoking.
- High cholesterol.
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
Each of these factors can raise the risk of developing heart disease — and the likelihood that when chest pain is experienced, it may be heart-related. A doctor may recommend a CT scan, or one can be scheduled by individual patients who are interested in confirming their current health status.
Calcium Heart Scan
A coronary calcium scan, or calcium-score screening heart test, can be used to detect calcium deposits in the arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. As plaque builds in arteries, blood flow becomes more limited.
A coronary-calcium score provides a way to measure the amount of plaque build-up and artery blockage. The higher the score, the higher the risk of developing heart disease.
How Long Does A Heart CT Scan Take?
The CT scan process is actually very simple and quick when performed at Craft Body Scan.
There is no preparation or fasting needed before the appointment, and no contrast, iodine, or medications are administered. During the appointment, the screening itself takes about five minutes.
Once complete, radiologists review the results, and a report is available within about one to two weeks.
Heart Scan Near Me
Early detection of potential problems can help set you on a healthier path moving forward. More complete knowledge of your health status can empower you to take charge of your health and make choices that could ultimately add years of quality health to your life.
Heart scans are available at Craft Body Scan locations in several areas around the country, including:
- Charlotte, NC.
- Raleigh, NC.
- Nashville, TN.
- Tampa, FL.
- Tulsa, OK.
Feel free to reach out for more information. Our helpful staff can assist with any questions you may have and help you take charge of your health by taking a comprehensive look at your current health status.
