Chest pain has become a concern for many people these days, with rising stress levels and lack of adequate sleep or rest.. There are different types of chest pains and hence knowing about them is important. Some of the common chest pain terms are pleuritis, lung abscess, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, asthma etc. Sharp pain on the left side of your chest can be attributed to many causes, hence getting checked by a doctor does become imperative so that things do not get worse.
Pericarditis is known to be a dangerous condition with a basic symptom being sharp pain on the left side or middle of the chest. Pain on the neck, abdomen or the shoulders are other identifying symptoms. In this condition, it can be very hard to determine the exact cause of the pain because sometimes it feels similar to a heart attack. Some people even develop fever, cough, palpitations, weakness and hypotension or low blood pressure too.
Pains can arise from many things other than a heart attack such as pancreatitis, pneumonia or even a panic attack. Recently it was known that around six million Americans rush to the hospital with a chest pain condition every year, out of which 20% were found to be diagnosed with a heart attack. In case of the latter, the chest can also feel heavy or you may experience a burning sensation there, with or without pricking or numbness in the arms. In some cases, before an impending heart attack, you may also experience shortness of breath, cold sweat or flushing, fatigue and feel the pain radiating towards the back.
Sharp chest pain on the left side could even be a symptom of diseases such as pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection; etc. However people with such kind of pain do not have any heart or arteries related issues.
Sometimes, sharp chest pain on the left side can also be due to stress or depression. Excessive indulgence in alcohol or tobacco, diabetes, and obesity can also intensity the condition and be a reason for heart attack.
You may also experience a stabbing pain in the chest, if you have pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle during a strenuous activity or sport. In fact, pinched nerve can also cause loss of sensation in the arm, which many may assume to be a heart attack symptom. So getting the condition checked by a doctor always helps.
Many a time, sharp pain on left side can be due to gas build-up. Heart burn is a condition when the gas rises up through the intestine to the left side of the chest. If the other above mentioned symptoms of a heart-attack is not present, it can be heart-burn or a related digestive disorder. But again, it is better to get your condition checked by a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Precautions
Eat healthy food and stay away from a lot of oily stuff and spices if you have previously incurred a heart condition. Unlike other diseases, a chest pain is a serious condition that needs to be treated or diagnosed correctly and quickly. So get in touch with a good health specialist and make you sure you reveal every single detail about the pain you are suffering from, including related conditions and medical history. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Make sure you spread the news to your close ones too!