Chest pain and palpitations
Whilst alarming, most palpitations are quite harmless – lasting for just seconds. They are often as a result of emotional upset but they may occur quite unexpectedly. However, some palpitations are caused by disease and an attack may last for seconds, minutes or even hours and be quite unpleasant.
When you are exercising or if you have a fever, such as flu, or certain medical conditions such as anaemia or an overactive thyroid gland, your heart rate often increases. However your heart rate may slow if you feel sick or nauseous, and if it slows too much it may cause you to faint.
If your palpitations are frequent or troublesome, or if you experience them together with any symptoms such as sweating, feeling faint, breathlessness, chest pain or dizziness you are advised to see your GP and they can refer you to one of our Cardiology Consultants. They will decide whether the palpitations reflect a normal heart rhythm or whether there are any abnormalities and then plan the appropriate treatment for you.
- What are palpitations and how would I know if I am having palpitations?
A palpitation consists of a sensation in which a person is aware of an irregular, noticeably hard, or fast heartbeat. It may feel as though the heart is skipping beats, beat completely irregularly, or just thump within the chest. Although very often harmless, the sensation can be frightening.
- What are the most common causes of palpitations?
Palpitations can be caused by many things, ranging from caffeine, medications, drugs, stress, body temperature, exercise, and the well publicised mixture of Red Bull and Vodka.
- What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Palpitations can in some cases be an indication of serious heart problems, if you are worried you should see your GP.
Symptoms of a heart attack are central chest pain often described as squeezing or crushing. The pain may come on suddenly and cause you to collapse, and may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, face, back or stomach. It can sometimes feel like very sever indigestion. Heart attack pain is more persistent than Angina, and can last for hours, if you are used to Angina you will find that the pain does not subside with your regular medication.
- How can I tell the difference between a heart attack and heart burn?
Heart burn does not actually involve your heart, it is when a small amount of digestive acid escapes from the stomach into the throat, causing a burning sensation in the chest and often the feeling of ‘small amounts of food coming back up’. It should be noted that while heartburn causes discomfort in the chest, it does not feel like heavy pressure on, or squeezing against the chest in the way that a heart attack does.
- Can I get my health and heart tested?
Of course you can! Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) screening tests are widely available and involve stressing the heart under controlled conditions to detect the presence of flow-limiting blockages in the coronary arteries.
