How to distinguish heart pain from neuralgia
A spasm in the chest can throw you into panic, because everyone knows that heart problems are not something to joke about. But this syndrome is not always a signal of cardiac distress; neuralgia or a host of other reasons may similarly be a concern. And then the drugs used to restore the myocardium and blood vessels will not help. Is it possible, without being a specialist, to understand whether it is pain in the heart or neuralgia, how to distinguish one from the other? There are many manifestations of pain caused by cardiac ailments, pathologies of the heart or blood vessels, and most of them indicate themselves directly with chest pain. The exact diagnosis must be determined by a doctor, but if signs suddenly appear, assistance must be provided very quickly. Sometimes this factor becomes decisive in preserving life. Therefore, it is important to know the nuances of heart pain of different origins:
For angina pectoris. These spasms disturb exactly in the area where the heart is located. But when asked to indicate where exactly, the person talks about sensations spreading throughout the chest. The nature of the pain may vary: pressing, cutting. The sensations are rather dull, responding in other parts of the body: left arm, neck, area between the shoulder blades. Their character remains the same in another position of the body, although pain can flare up from muscle effort, a sharp decrease and increase in ambient temperature. Together with her, she is haunted by the fear of dying and the feeling of lack of air. This lasts from a few seconds to 20 minutes, the attack can return more than once in a short period.
During a heart attack. This dangerous condition manifests itself as acute, severe pain that responds in the spinal column and the left part of the chest. Its intensity can cause loss of consciousness, and always provokes pale skin and sweat. A feeling of the presence of a load rises in the chest, preventing the patient from lying down. Any activity increases the squeezing or burning pain, along with which breathing quickens and the fear of death appears.
For myocarditis and pericarditis. These are inflammatory diseases of the heart, in which the pain is moderate and nagging in nature. Myocarditis signals itself with the sensations of piercing needles, pericarditis – monotonous. They spread at the first pathology from the left part of the body: above the heart, under the shoulder blade, in the upper segment of the abdomen. With pericarditis, the apex of the heart hurts, but there is a feeling in the right limb. This pain provokes shortness of breath and intensifies when trying to lie down, cough, or breathe deeply. Often both pathologies are complemented by an increase in temperature, periodic increase or decrease in heart rate.
With aortic aneurysm. The upper chest “aches”, if you don’t help, this can last for several days. Painful symptoms increase as a result of body movement and as the problem develops. As the pathology progresses, the sensation becomes sharp, bursting, and can cause loss of consciousness.
For pulmonary embolism. The pain is similar to that experienced with angina pectoris, but it only affects the area of the heart and does not radiate to other parts of the body. The number of organ contractions increases, which creates conditions for shortness of breath. The skin and lips turn blue, blood pressure drops sharply.
For hypertension. Due to the increase in blood pressure, squeezing, stabbing, aching spasms in the heart are combined with the same sensation in the head. During an attack, the patient’s face turns red, “goosebumps” flash before his eyes, and his gait becomes uncertain. The patient is afraid of loss of strength and the desire to lie down. Manifestations of neuralgia Neuralgia changes the condition of the nerves for the worse. Therefore, it can flare up wherever they pass, that is, in almost every area of the body. Nerves located in the rib area are often affected. It is this kind of neuralgia that provokes pain in the heart. A layman might think that they are related to this organ.
But neuralgia has its own symptoms, different from heart problems: The pain is always severe, increasing from movement, coughing, inhalation and exhalation. It can intensify without any obvious reason. The types of spastic sensations are varied (from burning to stabbing), and can be disturbing continuously or in frequent attacks. All this torments for a long time: from several hours to days. The sensation of pain can be traced along the nerves. Touching the intercostal area increases them to unbearable levels in each area. Soreness can be felt in the arm, radiate to the middle of the back, cervical spine, chest, that is, create the impression of cardiac malaise. The skin in the area of the affected nerve loses all or part of its sensitivity. A pins and needles sensation may appear on the surface. Pain causes the skin toThe patient turns pale, sweats, and muscle cramps may occur. The latter is either felt and noticed during observation, or is detected only by the patient. The symptom appears due to insufficient blood supply to this area of the body and irritation of the nerve fibers. The segment of the body in the area where the affected nerve passes freezes as the skin temperature decreases. Sometimes pain caused by irritation of the roots is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Thus: cardiac pain lasts less long than neuralgic pain. It does not increase upon palpation in the area of its distribution. The nerves do not stop suffering after taking cardiac medications, but they subside slightly with the use of sedative medications. A diseased heart can change its rhythm, cause breathing problems, and change blood pressure. With neuralgia, there is no shortness of breath, and tachycardia has psychological causes, so it quickly stops. Movement and rest do not affect the existence and strength of spasms in the heart. Neuralgic syndrome intensifies with physical activity, so that it is difficult and sometimes impossible for the patient to change body position.
Other problems masquerading as heart diseases In addition to neuralgia, the heart can hurt with the following health problems: spinal osteochondrosis affects the nerves stretching in the affected area, which causes pain similar to heart pain. They also respond in different parts of the body and can be accompanied by difficulty breathing and coughing.
Gastritis, stomach ulcer Spasmodic sensations are stimulated by food intake and body position after it. When the patient lies down, the syndrome becomes more pronounced. Vegetative-vascular dystonia An attack leads to stabbing spasms in the heart area, shortness of breath, panic and frequent exaggeration of the strength of sensations. But nevertheless, neuralgia causes pain in the heart area more often than other ailments. Because she herself has more reasons to appear. Among them are: infectious agents, hormonal disorders, endocrine pathologies, bad habits. Early help for cardialgia of various origins.
Methods for eliminating pain depend on its causes. If the problem is a heart problem, it can be removed with a Nitroglycerin or Validol tablet. The first of them is dissolved rather than swallowed. The patient should be seated or allowed to lie down with high pillows placed under the back. It is important to provide the person with access to air by loosening the clasps on clothing (collar, belt, etc.) that restrict the chest. But after eliminating the most severe sensations, he needs a doctor to establish an accurate diagnosis and continue treatment. If the pain is due to nerve damage, the first thing to do is place the person on a hard surface, ensuring rest. He should receive a painkiller such as Analgin or Ibuprofen. Further treatment, even if the spasm has passed, will be prescribed by a specialist. When the pain does not go away, it is necessary to contact an ambulance, despite the certainty that the cause is not heart disease.
The article was prepared by Doctor Kasimova.M. M
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