Do you have an uncomfortable feeling in your chest? Do you feel sharp or dull pain, or crushing or burning sensations? Do you feel vague discomfort? Let's look at the wide range of problems that can cause chest pain.
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that feed your heart muscle. If the arteries harden and narrow, your heart muscle can't get the blood it needs to work well. Coronary heart disease can lead to a heart attack. It is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
These are clumps of blood that form when blood cells stick together. Some types of clots are helpful. For example, when you're cut, your blood forms a clot to seal the wound. But sometimes, blood clots can form inside your arteries or veins for other reasons. They can clog your blood vessels. This can be life-threatening.
Two large blood vessels, known as the "carotid arteries," travel from your aorta up through your neck. There's one on each side of your neck. They carry blood to your head and brain. In some people, these arteries become narrowed over time by a waxy buildup called "plaque." When this happens, we say you have "carotid artery disease." This disease restricts blood flow. And it can lead to serious health problems.
This is when your blood has trouble flowing through your arteries. What are your arteries? They're the vessels that carry blood away from your heart and to all the parts of your body.
This narrowing of arteries reduces blood flow to your arms or legs. It most often affects the legs and feet. Smoking and diabetes raise your risk for this disease. So do obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, age and other factors.
This is a narrowing of the heart's aortic valve. That's the valve that opens to the aorta (the main vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body). With stenosis, the valve doesn't fully open. That makes it hard for your heart to pump enough blood out to your body.
This is a sound we hear when your heart beats. It's made by blood flowing through your heart's valves, or through the large vessels near your heart. There are different types of heart murmurs. Many are harmless, but some are dangerous.
This condition is a blood clot that forms in a vein deep inside the body. This type of clot most commonly develops in the legs. This condition is dangerous, because the clot can break free and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs.
Deep vein thrombosis is a type of blood clot that can develop when you sit still for long periods. It can also be caused by certain medical conditions that make the blood clot more easily. You can take precautions to reduce your risk for developing this dangerous condition.
When you spend long periods of time in a hospital bed, you may be at risk for developing deep vein thrombosis. This is a type of blood clot that forms in a vein, usually in the legs. You may be prone to developing this type of clot because of a blood clotting disorder or other condition. But these clots are also caused by lack of movement. If you keep your legs in the same position for long periods of time, you raise your risk for a clot. Fortunately, you can take some simple precautions to keep a clot from forming.
This condition, commonly called "VTE," occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep within your body. This can happen in your leg, or in another part of your body. The clot travels through your circulatory system. When it reaches your lungs, it blocks an artery within them. This prevents oxygenation of your blood. This is a pulmonary embolism. It can be fatal.
This is a clog in an artery in your lung. It can happen suddenly, even in a healthy person. It's a serious medical condition that can be fatal.
Spending long hours in a bed or a chair can increase your risk for venous thromboembolism, commonly called "VTE." This is a type of blood clot that can form in a vein in your leg and then travel to your lungs. It can be fatal. It's important to follow the advice of your healthcare provider so you can prevent this dangerous condition.
The aorta is your body's main artery. It carries blood down along the front of your spine to the parts of your body below your heart. If the wall of your aorta in your abdomen weakens and balloons outward, you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It's a serious condition, and one that often has no warning signs.
This is a heart defect you're born with. It's a hole in the wall between your heart's upper chambers. The wall is called the "septum." The upper chambers are called the "atria." The hole in the septum lets blood mix between the atria, where it shouldn't mix.
This is a heart problem that some babies are born with. It's a narrowing of the aorta. That's the main vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body. This narrowing makes it hard for blood to pass through.
This is a heart problem that is present at birth. In a heart with this syndrome, the left side doesn't fully develop. The underdeveloped left side can't pump enough blood out to the body.
This is a heart defect. It narrows the opening of your heart's pulmonary valve. This slows your blood flow. Pulmonary valve stenosis can be mild or severe.
This heart problem is present at birth. It's a combination of four heart defects that change the way blood flows through the heart and to the lungs. As a result, blood can't get all the oxygen it needs to supply the body's cells.
This condition is a reversal of the two major arteries that carry blood away from the heart. These are the aorta and the pulmonary artery. In a heart with TGA, these arteries switch places during the heart's formation. They connect to the wrong chambers of the heart.
This common heart problem is present at birth. It's a hole in the wall between the heart's two lower chambers. These chambers are called the "ventricles," and the wall between them is called the "septum." The hole lets oxygen-rich blood flow back to the lungs, instead of out to the body where it's needed.
This procedure is usually performed in the first year of a child's life to repair a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Sometimes called a hole in the heart, this defect occurs in the wall between the heart's two ventricular chambers, creating abnormal blood flow. The surgery closes the hole with a patch.
This is an abnormal connection between blood vessels. It happens when arteries connect directly to veins without first sending blood through tiny capillaries. An AVM can look like a tangle of blood vessels. They form anywhere in your body, but most often they form in or around the brain and along the spinal cord.
This narrowing of blood vessels reduces blood flow to your arms or legs. It most often affects the legs and feet. Smoking and diabetes raise your risk for this disease. So do obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, age and other factors.
When body tissue dies, we call it "gangrene." You might be able to see it, like on the skin of a hand or foot. But gangrene may also happen within your body. It can happen to a muscle, organ or another part of your body you can't see.
This disease is a buildup of a sticky, fatty substance called "plaque" on the inner walls of your arteries. Plaque buildup limits the flow of blood. This can lead to serious health problems.
This is a thickening of the heart muscle. It makes it harder for your heart to pump blood. Your heart may have trouble pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs. This can lead to serious problems.
This inflammation of the heart muscle makes it hard for your heart to pump properly. It can lead to serious problems.
This is an emergency medical condition. It happens when your blood pressure drops suddenly. We say you've "gone into shock." When you're in shock, your organs don't get the blood they need to work properly. This is life-threatening.
This is a problem with the heart's mitral valve. That's the valve between the chambers on the left side of the heart. The mitral valve opens when the heart expands, and closes when the heart contracts. But with this condition, one or both of the valve's flaps are floppy or stretchy. They don't close the way they should. Instead, they bulge into the upper chamber. Blood may leak through the valve.
This is a tear in the wall of your aorta. Your aorta is the large blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body. The wall of the aorta is made of three layers. An aortic dissection is a tear in the aorta's inner wall. Blood flows through the tear and separates the aorta's inner and middle layers. Blood that normally flows to other parts of your body fills this space, forming a bulge.
This is a rare and serious heart issue that can affect young, healthy people. It's triggered by a sudden, blunt impact to the chest. If this happens at just the right time during the heartbeat cycle (and in just the right place on the lower left side of the heart), it affects the heart's electrical signals. These are the signals that control the heartbeat. With commotio cordis, the heart muscle begins to flutter. The person's blood stops circulating properly. They lose consciousness. We call this "cardiac arrest." Without fast medical help, they will die.
This condition makes your heart beat much faster than normal when you stand up after sitting or lying down. It can make you to feel lightheaded or dizzy. It can cause you to faint.
