Pain in the upper-left quadrant of the chest while breathing may be caused due to an esophageal spasm. A person may suffer from this while resting and the condition can coexist with coronary artery disease. When the arteries which supply blood to the heart go into spasm, they cause temporary stopping of the blood flow, which results in chest pain. This condition is also known as Prinzmetal’s angina. It is important to note that in case of a heart attack, the person may not experience pain in the center of the chest. The other symptoms, which are associated with a heart attack include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, sweating, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and excruciating pain which spreads from the chest to the back. In most cases, it is often discomfort more than pain. The patients can suffer from dull, burning, or sharp chest pain, or pain on the left side of the heart in general. More often than not, it is noticed that a heart attack results from a prolonged period of angina. A heart attack is caused, when fatty plaque ruptures and a blood clot forms on the plaque, which can partially or completely block the artery. In some cases, patients have also suffered from back pain, due to a heart attack, or the pain can originate in the back and then radiate towards the heart. The pain may last for a few minutes and it may get distributed to the back, neck, jaw, shoulders, arms, etc. Heart attack (or myocardial infarction) often causes pressure or crushing pain in the chest. This is one of the highest cause of chest pain. In other words, when the amount of oxygen decreases as opposed to the demand, it gives rise to this kind of pain. Angina pain is particularly common during physical strenuous activity, when the heart rate and pressure on the heart increases and there is demand for more oxygen. When the blood supply is restricted, it can cause recurrent episodes of chest pain, also called angina pectoris, or cardiac ischemia, or simply angina. The plaque narrows the arteries, due to which oxygen-rich blood supply to the heart is restricted. Now let’s read on causes of pain in upper-left chest.Īngina is caused due to hard, thick, cholesterol containing plaques, which gradually build up on the inner walls of the arteries that carry blood to the heart. Like I have mentioned previously, understand that many a time, the underlying cause of chest pain may not be related to the heart. Causes of Upper-left Side Chest PainĬhest pain in the left side can be caused due to a range of health problems. Normally, the point of origin of referred pain is the neck. There have also been cases, where chest pain actually was referred pain. In some cases, chest pain can also be caused due to problems in the gallbladder or stomach.

The point of origin of chest pain can be any one of the organs in the chest, namely heart, lung, or esophagus, or from the components of the chest wall. However, it is important to remember, that not every chest pain means a heart attack. Chest pain can be divided into two types, namely right side chest pain and left side chest pain. Every year, all around the world, there are millions of patients, who are treated for chest pain. If the history of emergency medical help calls is studied, after accidents, chest pain is the most common reason, why people call for emergency help.

Pinpoint pain in chest