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Is Chest Pain A Symptom Of Heart Attack?

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Posted on Tue, 29 Apr 2014
Question: Good morning. I have this strange thing that happens to me every few months and want to see if you might have a theory. I have a pacemaker but as far as my doctor is concerned am in good health other than that. have low blood pressure, normal cholesterol levels, resting heart rate of about 60, good health. am 58 years old and have no heart issues in my family. exercise regularly my entire life, probably could shed a few pounds but feel really good and healthy all the time. so, here is what happens. Always in a resting state. happened yesterday. was sitting in a meeting chatting with someone when major pain comes through my chest area. I am thinking to myself that i am definitely having a heart attack this time. am really uncomfortable but keep chatting. pain lasts as always about 10-15 minutes and goes away. this has happened about 5 times over the last 3 years. Once i went and got blood tests right after to see if i was having a heart attack and i was not. Any theories about what this could be. sure feels like a heart attack but seems odd that it is so far between and only every few months. I did have an echo cardiogram and it was normal and good blood flow. thoughts??
doctor
Answered by Dr. Likaj (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: I think it is not typical heart complaint. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank you for asking. The pain your are describing is not typical for cardiac ischemia. However, sometimes especially in women it happens that pain due to coronary stenosis may present a atypically. So I would suggest a stress test to rule out any doubts we have about that. I hope to have addressed your query. Best regards, Dr. Ermal
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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Follow up: Dr. Likaj (4 hours later)
I forgot to tell you that i have done a stress test a couple of times and all is good. i actually did better than most women my age. i also forgot to tell you that i have had (seems to have gone away and i get it every once and awhile) heart fluttering or beat skipping or irregular heart beat. it is not debilitating but mostly annoying. your thoughts. could the issues be linked? any other theories around what could be causing the chest pain?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Likaj (42 minutes later)
Brief Answer: Sometimes it is difficult to find the cause. Detailed Answer: Hello, Heart fluttering or atrial fibrillation is more likely to cause palpitations and not chest pain. Sometimes chest pain may be confused with pain originating from the gastro-intestinal tract due to reflux disease, peptic ulcer, cholecystitis etc. But remember that in your case it is not typical even for the gastrointestinal tract and usually it is accompanied with other symptoms. Anyway, rarely we cannot find the cause even with all the exams so if it comes back very rarely don`t think about it. See you again. Best regards, Dr. Ermal
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Answered by
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Dr. Likaj

Cardiac Surgeon

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 60 Questions

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Is Chest Pain A Symptom Of Heart Attack?

Brief Answer: I think it is not typical heart complaint. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank you for asking. The pain your are describing is not typical for cardiac ischemia. However, sometimes especially in women it happens that pain due to coronary stenosis may present a atypically. So I would suggest a stress test to rule out any doubts we have about that. I hope to have addressed your query. Best regards, Dr. Ermal