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Is Pain In Left Arm Indicative Of Heart Attack?
Question: Im having pain in my left arm area in the area above my elbow. is this a sign of a heart attack?
Brief Answer:
Probably not
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
a heart attack usually causes pain on the middle of the chest which feels like pressure or squeezing. The pain may radiate to the jaw, upper abdomen, left shoulder and arm and the back. Very rarely even the right side might be affected.
The pain is commonly accompanied by nausea and perhaps even vomiting and cold sweats. Other symptoms depend on the severity of the attack.
Sometimes arrhythmia during a heart attack may cause tachycardia (fast heart rate) or bradycardia (slow heart rate), low blood pressure (faintness) etc
Signs of heart failure may include various symptoms. The most annoying one can be shortness of breath (pulmonary edema).
So in conclusion, while the left arm can be aching due to a heart attack, it is very unlikely for a heart attack to present with arm pain alone.
You should seek other potential causes for the pain first, like injuries (muscle strains etc), unusually intense muscle work which caused muscular stiffness and pain etc
I hope I've helped!
If you'd like more information, please use your follow-up questions.
Kind Regards!
Probably not
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
a heart attack usually causes pain on the middle of the chest which feels like pressure or squeezing. The pain may radiate to the jaw, upper abdomen, left shoulder and arm and the back. Very rarely even the right side might be affected.
The pain is commonly accompanied by nausea and perhaps even vomiting and cold sweats. Other symptoms depend on the severity of the attack.
Sometimes arrhythmia during a heart attack may cause tachycardia (fast heart rate) or bradycardia (slow heart rate), low blood pressure (faintness) etc
Signs of heart failure may include various symptoms. The most annoying one can be shortness of breath (pulmonary edema).
So in conclusion, while the left arm can be aching due to a heart attack, it is very unlikely for a heart attack to present with arm pain alone.
You should seek other potential causes for the pain first, like injuries (muscle strains etc), unusually intense muscle work which caused muscular stiffness and pain etc
I hope I've helped!
If you'd like more information, please use your follow-up questions.
Kind Regards!
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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