Chest heaviness is also synonymously known as chest pain. Most of the times chest pain is associated with heart attack, however, it may not be so, there might be a number of reasons for chest heaviness. It is required that instead of feeling absolutely overwhelmed with a feeling of anxiety, there should be proper check up done in case if chest heaviness occurs on a regular basis.




Chest heaviness means feeling heavy in chest, most people describe it is as if someone is holding their hearts, feeling of wringing of heart and pain in chest. Asthma is a common cause of chest heaviness, therefore asthmatics often complain of chest heaviness especially during an asthmatic attack. Childhood asthma is another reason for chest heaviness; this can be cured when asthma is taken care of.


Adult asthma too can cause chest heaviness.

Another type of people suffering from chest heaviness are people with GERD or Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease or commonly called as heart burn. All those who include a lot of spicy food in their diet are often likely to suffer with GERD, GERD diet is recommended. This means the food they eat should be free from high quantity of spice and oil. Following this diet will often help them get rid of chest heaviness.

Chest heaviness can be or cannot be a symptom of heart disease for this you will require to take some precautionary measures as well as keep a record of number of times you have felt chest heaviness.

If chest heaviness is accompanied by chest pain, then you should visit the doctor, the graveness of the situation can be studied when the doctor tries to identify exact cause of heaviness. People who have a family history of heart disease might feel chest heaviness since they are more like to be affected with the heart disease.

Some of the other reasons that could be likely for chest pain are, diabetes, smoking, drug abuse, high blood pressure, high level of cholesterol in blood, etc. Causes like anxiety pleurisy, gastric ulcer, pneumonia, coughing, pulmonary embolism, etc. are all causes for chest heaviness.

With several causes it would be better not to draw conclusions regarding chest heaviness, however, if chest heaviness is accompanied by heavy pain then it would be better to visit a physician immediately. Recurring chest heaviness should be studied in detail, for your home work, you can try cutting out on spicy diet and then noting the time span of chest heaviness, this would be quite helpful for the doctor to diagnose.

The knowledge that heart disease is a leading of cause of death in developed countries of the world has lead to increased awareness about the symptoms associated with heart attacks. Chest pain symptoms, including heaviness or tightness in the chest should not be ignored as they could indicate angina or insufficient blood oxygen to the heart, a heart attack, or a tearing of the aorta. However, not all heaviness in the chest is related to the heart.

Chest pain symptoms could also indicate pericarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart’s lining. Shortness of breath accompanied by sharp chest pain symptoms could mean that there is an inflammation in the lining of the lungs, a condition called pleurisy. It could also mean damage to the alveoli in the lung tissue, or a condition named pneumothorax. Pneumonia, a bacterial infection of the pleura, the lining of the lungs, is known to cause fever and chest pain. Irritation of the pleura caused by pulmonary embolism is another known chest pain cause. Sharp bursts of chest pain are also reported by people with a heart valve abnormality called mitral valve prolapse.

Unlike the above conditions, severe chest pain symptoms caused by aortic dissection or tearing of the wall of the aorta, the large blood vessel, can lead to fatal consequences if left unattended. Rib fractures and muscle strain in the chest can also lead to pain that worsens with movement, coughing, or while taking deep breaths.

Often described as indigestion chest pain, a reflux problem where the contents of the stomach and acid are regurgitated into the food pipe can also cause chest pain in an individual. Spasms associated with the muscle of the food pipe or esophagus can be as painful as angina. Similarly, a gall bladder attack caused by gall stones blocking the bile duct can be mistaken for angina as the chest pain stress levels are similar.

Heaviness in the chest could be caused by something as simple as a severe cold, with phlegm build up, coughing, and a heavy head. Panic attacks and emotional stress could also trigger a severe bout of chest pain.

Whatever be the cause of chest pain, it is best to consult a doctor as early as possible. This is because during a heart attack the heart muscle is irreparably damaged and scarred unless the patient receives attention and vital medication within one hour of the attack.

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