Feeling pain on the left side of your chest, right above your breast, can be scary and confusing.

It could mean different things, some serious and some not. In some moments it is difficult to locate or know exactly where this pain is coming from.

It is thus important to know whether this chest pain is of cardiac etiology. If it is, there are other causes that would be relevant to the presence of the problem.

Actually, correlation between the intensiveness of left chest pain and other symptoms that can help one to define the source of pain is possible.

In this blog, Mykare Health will break down the common reasons for this pain in women, so you know when to see a doctor and how to handle it.

What is Chest Pain?

Sometimes chest pain may be angina, another sign of a problem with the heart check with a doctor. Angina occurs if your heart muscle gets insufficient oxygen-rich blood. The pain applies pressure or squeezing in the chest area.

It can extend across the left chest to the shoulders, the neck, the jaws or down the back. This is similar to a heart attack.

It is critical for females to note chest pain slightly above the breast on their left side since the pain can be symptomatic of severe health complications. Here are some potential explanations and when to seek medical attention

1. Cardiac Issues

• Heart Attack: This is a rather severe condition where oxygen supply to the muscles of the heart is halted. This may be accompanied by the sensation that one is choking, the sensation of having a foil taste in the palate or more extensive pain – a burning sensation that radiates to the left arm, the lower jaw or to the neck or back.

Comorbid symptoms that one may experience when they have Hyperkalemia include; shortness of breath, nausea, and sweating.

• Angina: This is because there is reduced blood flow to the heart muscles; this results in angina which is a type of heart attack. Tension pain is worked up when a person is performing tasks that involve muscles, during stress and while taking hot foods, it decreases when the person is at rest.

• Pericarditis: Inflammation of a sac that surrounds the heart; results in sharp chest pain that is worse at night when the patient is in bed and is relieved when the person stands up. Other signs may include fever, and he or she may not be able to breathe well.

2. Respiratory Causes

• Pneumonia: This specific lung infection is described to cause sudden and stabbing chest pain, particularly in the areas of the chest where fever or chills are experienced and accompanied by productive cough.

• Pulmonary Embolism: Blood vessels get blocked in the lung causing a sharp severe chest pain that worsens with deep breath and breathlessness, dizziness.

• Pneumothorax: This is commonly referred to as pneumothorax and manifests as a sharp severe pain in the chest particularly on a spontaneous inspiration and when coughing.

3. Gastrointestinal Causes

• Acid Reflux (GERD): Gastric acid passing back into the food pipe leads to a sharp pain in the chest region commonly referred to as heart burn especially after meals or when in the lying position.

• Gastritis and Pancreatitis: This is because conditions such as gastritis or pancreatitis result to upper abdominal pain of which may be referred in the chest

4. Musculoskeletal Causes

• Costochondritis: Inflammation of the rib cartilage the articulates with the sternum is mainly characterized by sharp and achy chest pain which intensifies with movement or even pressure on the chest.

• Muscle Strain: This pain is worsened by movements and any form of palpation, and is as a result of overuse of the chest muscles or chest injury.

5. Psychological Cause

• Panic Attacks: But complex anxiety can also present in the form of chest pains together with other symptoms like palpitations, breathlessness and feeling of anxiety to die.

6. Other Causes

• Shingles: Despite the fact that this is a viral infection it causes a presence of rash that is painful and localized chest pain on the affected side of the body.

When to Seek Medical Attention

It is very important that this symptom, chest pains especially the left sided one, should not be taken lightly.

The pain is severe and if it comes suddenly, one needs to seek emergency medical treatment if accompanied by features like shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, sweating, or radiation in other parts of the body.

If diaphoresis or other such symptoms other than left sided chest pain exist, if a person cannot differentiate between the cause of the chest pain, then he needs to go to the hospital.

This includes chest pain that increases in intensity and is not relieved by home remedies including lying down, chest pain that is not relieved by over the counter drugs including those that are non steroidal.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• A general practitioner or a specialist will discuss the patient’s symptoms and may provide a physical exam followed by an ECG test, chest x-ray, blood work, or imaging for those who present with chest pain.

• This is true since the treatment of arthritis will depend on the cause, and this may include the use of drugs, changes of the lifestyle, or even surgery in the severe cases.

• Knowledge of the possible causes of chest pain is reassuring and plays a significant role in getting proper medical care when the situation arises.