Men suffer from heart disease more often than women, but recently there has been a sharp increase in mortality from heart disease among women. To properly and timely provide care, you need to know how the heart hurts - the symptoms in women may differ slightly from men.
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Causes of heart pain -
Stitching pain in the heart: causes and treatment -
Aching pain in the heart: causes and treatment -
Symptoms of heart pain -
Get rid of heart pain in simple ways
Why does the heartache in women
Heartache in women often occurs not only with serious heart disease - angina, heart attack, myocarditis. Women more often than men are diagnosed with blockage of blood vessels against the background of atherosclerosis, ischemia, less often - obstructive coronary disease.
Causes of cardiac pain in women:
- vegetative-vascular dystonia - there is not only pain in the heart, but also pressure jumps, a rapid heart rate;
- mental disorders, neuroses, which develop in overwork, stress, psychological trauma;
- osteochondrosis - pinching in the thoracic region can provoke heart pain;
- diseases of the digestive tract;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- herpes zoster;
- pathological changes in the thyroid gland.
In women, heart pain can be one of the symptoms of PMS, menopause, often occurs in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Important! The peak of heart disease among women is 55 years.
Symptoms in women
Many women begin to think about heart problems only after a heart attack or heart attack. But there are certain alarming signs, at the appearance of which it is necessary to visit a cardiologist. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment will help to avoid the development of serious heart disease.
Diagnosis of heart disease in women is difficult due to hormonal background. Female hormones protect women from atherosclerosis, so many heart problems begin to intensively manifest with the onset of menopause.
In women, heart disease manifests less acute attacks, pain often gives hands, neck back. In the female population, cardiac pathologies are accompanied by nausea and vomiting more often than in men, often cough and shortness of breath.
Symptoms of cardiac abnormalities:
- shortness of breath, severe fatigue from usual actions - indicate the development of coronary insufficiency;
- nausea, pain in the upper stomach - harbingers of a heart attack;
- swelling of the lower extremities in the evening - occurs on the background of heart failure;
- throbbing headache - occurs with high blood pressure, can cause heart attack, apoplexy;
- pain in the elbow joints and wrist - signal a possible heart attack;
- frequent urination at night - can be caused by heart failure;
- pain in the sternum.
Important! Women often have attacks of heart pain associated with emotional experiences, do not depend on the intensity of physical exertion.
How the heart aches, depending on the type of cardiac pathology
Cardiac pathologies manifest themselves in pain of a different nature and intensity. To more accurately describe the bouts of fighting, to speed up the diagnosis, it is necessary to know how the pain in the heart manifests in various diseases of cardiac and non-cardiac origin.
Angina pectoris
Pain pressing and cutting is localized behind the sternum, at the location of the heart. With angina, there is never a sharp manifestation of pain, only dull monotonous pain. Unpleasant sensations spread throughout the chest, are given in the left arm, neck, between the shoulder blades. The intensity of the pain syndrome does not change when the position changes, inhaling and exhaling.
The duration of the attack is not more than 20 minutes. In addition to pain, the disease is accompanied by shortness of breath, lack of air, panic. Nitroglycerin eliminates discomfort.
Infarction
The attack is characterized by a sudden attack of pain, which has a burning and oppressive character. A person has a sensation of the presence of a heavy object on the chest, the painful syndrome is covered in the back, breathing becomes rapid, the patient is difficult to lie, he has a feeling of fear.
Difference of a heart attack - the pain increases with any movement, usual cardiac medications do not bring relief.
Important! In women, the body reacts poorly to nitroglycerin.
Inflammatory processes
Myocarditis is similar in many respects to angina pectoris. Painful, stitching, localized slightly to the left of the center of the sternum, affects the neck, forearm. Unpleasant sensations are continuous, lasting, intensifying against the background of physical exertion. Pathology accompanies suffocation, swelling, pain in the joints. Seizures often occur at night, nitroglycerin does not help.
Pericarditis - dull pain accompanied by fever. Localization - the left part of the chest is slightly higher than the heart, the upper abdomen on the left side, the scapula. The pain becomes stronger during a cough, a deep breath.
Aneurysm
The aortic disease is characterized by pain clearly in the upper chest, arises against the background of physical activity, may not abate a few days. Nitroglycerin does not reduce the manifestation of pain syndrome.
With a splitting aneurysm, there is a strong bursting pain, there may be a loss of consciousness. Urgent hospitalization is necessary.
Thromboembolism
The severe pathology of the pulmonary artery begins with severe pain, which increases on inspiration. Unpleasant sensations are similar to angina, but the pain has a clear localization, accompanied by shortness of breath, palpitations. Anesthetics do not help, the skin turns blue, the pressure drops sharply. Hospitalization is necessary.
Ischemia
There is pain, burning, sensation of heaviness. On a background of an attack heart palpitations are quickened, there is a giddiness and delicacy, to breathe hardly. Danger of the disease is a frequent exacerbation of ischemia at night.
Pathological changes in the valves
The disease can last for a long time without any symptoms, sometimes there are unpleasant short-term sensations in the sternum when performing physical work. As the pathology develops, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeats, dizziness and weakness may occur. The disease is often accompanied by swelling of the lower limbs, an increase in body weight.
Important! When manifesting heart pain, you need to calm down, take a comfortable position, unfasten all pressing parts of clothing. As a first aid, you can take 1 tablet of nitroglycerin. If relief does not occur within a quarter of an hour - you should call an ambulance.
Where the heart is aching in a woman with a non-cardiac disease
Heart pain can signal the presence and development of serious diseases.
Intercostal neuralgia
It is often confused with angina pectoris. Difference - pain with neuralgia has a shooting character, increases with any movement, during breathing. The pain syndrome can not abate for several days, is localized between the ribs, is given directly to the heart, back.
Osteochondrosis
Pain in the heart is a frequent manifestation of chest osteochondrosis, while it covers the back, the upper abdomen, with breathing and movement increases. Sometimes the numbness between the shoulder blades and the left forearm begins.
Diseases of the digestive tract
Chest pain often occurs due to spasms of the stomach walls. In this case, the pain syndrome is accompanied by nausea, heartburn. The pain is long-lasting, depends on the intake of food - often occur on an empty stomach. Effectively helps No-shpa.
How to treat
A large number of cardiac pathologies require careful diagnosis and proper drug treatment. Only a doctor can select medicines.
Important! Validol is ineffective in angina pectoris.
Corvalol( Valocardin) - used to eliminate rapid heartbeats, neuroses, insomnia. The drug has a vasodilating effect, improves the blood supply to the heart muscle, eliminates pain. The drug has no contraindications.
The main medicines for the treatment of heart disease are nitrates, which are divided into 3 groups depending on the main active substance:
- nitroglycerin - Nitrocore, Nitrogen Forte;
- isosorbide dinitrate - Iso-poppy, Cardiac;
- isosorbide mononitrate - Monosan, Mononite.
ACE inhibitors slow down the production of enzymes that are responsible for the narrowing of the blood vessels, help with myocardium, heart failure - Captopril, Perindopril.
- Beta-blockers - designed to reduce the force of the heart, reduce blood pressure - Nadolol, Esmolol.
- The blockers of the uviltsian canals - eliminate spasm, improve blood flow to the heart, use with angina pectoris - Cardesin, Verapamil.
- Means for reducing blood cholesterol - designed to treat and prevent atherosclerosis - Zokor, Lipantil.
- Thrombolytic drugs are used in angina attacks to improve blood flow - Streptokinase, Urokinase.
Non-traditional methods of treatment and prevention
Folk remedies help to eliminate pain, spasm, strengthen the heart muscle. But they can be used only after a preliminary consultation with a cardiologist. The easiest way to eliminate heart pain is to mix in equal proportions the tincture of valerian and hawthorn. In 50 ml of water, dissolve 25 drops of the mixture, hold it slightly in your mouth, swallow.
Melissa
Melissa has a calming and relaxing effect, helps to eliminate shortness of breath. Pour 300 ml of boiling water 12 g of crushed dry leaves, cool in a closed container. Take 120 ml three times a day.
Rosehip
Rosehip has a diuretic property, helps to eliminate puffiness. For the treatment of heart diseases it is better to use the roots of the plant - brew 220 ml of boiling water 6 g of crushed raw material, simmer for a quarter of an hour. Drink in the form of heat to 600 ml per day for 14 days.
Preventive measures of heart diseases are based on maintaining a healthy lifestyle - a full rest, a balanced diet, feasible exercise.
Help to avoid pain in the heart will help refusal of drinks that contain caffeine and alcohol, you need to try to reduce the number of stressful situations. Cardiac diseases often occur against the background of obesity, so you need to carefully monitor the weight.
For any unpleasant sensations in the area of the heart, a woman should consult a doctor. Even experienced cardiologists without an instrumental examination can not make an accurate diagnosis. Any self-medication with medicines and folk medicine can aggravate the problem, which will cause severe pathologies or death.