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Health Advice on Chest pain
I get really bad pain on left side of my chest and my left arm.Can you tell me what it is and what i can do.I am a 17 year old female.
(21 Aug 2007)
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Chest pain is often associated with a heart attack. Chest pain could be any kind of pain, squeezing, pressure, choking or any other sort of discomfort within the chest, neck or the abdomen, and is very often linked with a pain in either the arm or the jaw. It may last anywhere from a second to a day to even weeks.
Hence, one could say that the term chest pain can be very unclear, as it may be an indication of several problems. A chest pain is not a condition by itself; rather it is merely a symptom of an underlying problem. A large number of medical conditions can give rise to chest pains. So in order to get rid of the chest pain, what is causing it, will have to be determined first.
Chest pain is also a very widespread complaint among teenagers ranging from the age of 10-18. It creates anxiety as they often feel that it is the symptom of a heart attack. Fortunately though, in most of the cases the pain is not associated with a heart problem or a heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases are very rare in this age group. The most common cause of this kind of pain is a tenderness of the chest wall. The pain in this condition lasts for about 30 minutes. One may also experience great discomfort while resting or during mild activity. This kind of a pain could very often be due to maintaining a poor posture. But this condition is not a severe one and disappears in due course.
Another frequent form of pain in the chest is due a condition termed as chostrochondritis, and is common in girls. Here the problem is caused due to an inflammation within the joints, which connect our ribs to the breast bone, resulting in severe pain in the area. In addition, this condition may also be caused by exercise or a respiratory infection exercise. Sometimes, the pain could get worse while breathing and may radiate towards the back, chest, or abdomen.
Lung and heart diseases are rather rare causes of chest pain in teens. But although several conditions can give rise to chest pain, one must not forget that cardiac diseases are not completely unheard of even at such a young age. Hence the pain should not be ignored as insignificant. In such a situation it is always advisable to consult a doctor so that the cause of the pain can be determined and treated accordingly.
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answered by G M on 22 Apr 2010, 5:16:20
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Go to the Doctor. Even young people can have heart problems.
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answered by o f m on 23 Aug 2007, 8:35:30
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