Heart Pain-The usual cause of heart pain is directly due to a too-small supply of blood to the muscle of the heart itself. This is hard to understand when we know that all of the body blood goes through the heart itself to be circulated. The fact is, however, that the heart muscle actually is receiving an under-supply of this blood for itself. The explanation is as follows: The heart pumps the blood out into the main artery called the aorta, which has small branch arteries directed backward, to pierce and feed the muscular wall of the heart. These heart arteries are the coronary arteries, and if for any reason they cannot carry the supply of blood required by the heart muscle at the moment, the blood hungry heart cries out in the only way it can-with pain. This makes heart pain understandable.

When pain in the chest is caused by the heart, it is nearly always felt just in back of the breastbone, but it may travel down toward the abdomen, up into the neck, or out through either shoulder or arm. The most common path for radiation of pain seems to be into and down the left arm. Heart pain may vary considerably in amount and length of time. While the production of heart pain is always due to a lack of blood to the heart muscle, the mechanics producing this lowered supply of blood may differ, and therein is created the several different types of heart disease attended by chest pain.

1. Heart Attack-sometimes called: “Coronary Thrombosis,” “Myocardial Infarction,” or “A Coronary.”
2. Arteriosclerosis sometimes called: “Coronary Insufficiency.”
3. Angina Pectoris known as: “Temporary Ischemia.”

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