Medical Questions » Heart Questions » Question No. 492
| Question: | I am 50 years of age and a bit overweight. When my heart races as a result of an emotional upset, or when I walk quickly, I have an uncomfortable tightness in the chest and a funny feeling in my left arm. Could this be angina? |
| Answer: | Yes it certainly could be, and you should see your general practitioner immediately.
Any chest pain or tightness, neck pain, arm pain or even upper belly and back pain, may be due to angina.
The only way to find out if it is a heart problem is to see your doctor, but even then, doctors sometimes find it very difficult to be sure whether the pain and tightness is due to angina, muscle pain, lung disease or indigestion.
Sophisticated tests are often necessary to exactly determine the cause, but these can only be performed if the patient presents to a doctor.
Angina occurs because one or more of the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle becomes narrowed by excessive deposits of cholesterol. The first sign is chest discomfort or tightness when exercising, but as mentioned above, the pain may be felt elsewhere or occur at other times.
It is far better to be reassured that your pain is merely indigestion than to suddenly drop dead from a heart attack because you have been ignoring the warning signs of angina.
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