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Overview

The left side of the body houses a number of vital organs. Under and around the left breastbone are the heart, spleen, stomach, pancreas, and turgid intestine. And that's in gain to the left lung, left breast, and left kidney, which really sits higher in the body than the accurate one. When you experience painful sensation under the left bosom, it can take in a variety of causes — some simple, some serious.

1. Mettle tone-beginning

Because the heart is located left and center in the chest — and because cardiopathy is the leading killer in United States of America — a heart round is frequently the first thing populate think of when they know botheration near their left breastbone.

Symptoms

Squeezing, tightness, or pressure sensation in the chest are rough-cut symptoms — but they don't always come about. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one-third of those experiencing heart attacks won't have any pain. When there is pain, it can last for a few minutes or come and go. Learn more around the warning signs of a heart attack.

Other symptoms include:

  • breathlessness
  • nausea and vomiting (normally more usual in women)
  • fatigue
  • discomfort in the arm, shoulder, and call on the carpet

Treatment

Your doctor may recommend surgery. Angioplasty involves using a balloon to unclog a closed arteria coronaria. A stent will likely glucinium situated to keep the artery open. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery takes a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and grafts it to "electrical shunt" a blocked artery. Here's what you need to know about CABG and alternative treatments.

Prevention

A healthy diet (one that is rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, omega-3 butterball acids, and low-fat dairy farm) can help forbid high cholesterol and alto blood pressure and advertise a healthy weight. Consider adding foods that can help lower your blood pressure.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical body process can sustain similar effects. The American Heart Association recommends aiming for 30 minutes per day, 5 years a week. This can help prevent heart condition.

ACE inhibitors can decrease blood pressure and reduce the heart's workload while statins can lower cholesterol and plaque buildup on artery walls. These buildups can block arteries and grounds a heart fire.

2. Pericarditis

This is an inflammation of the pericardium, the thin, two-layered tissue layer that surrounds the outside of the heart. Pain occurs when the nettled membrane rubs against the heart. It can be caused by a number of factors — some preventable, some not. They can include an reaction disease (a disease in which the body fights healthy cells) so much as lupus operating room atrophic arthritis, an infection, heart attack, and bureau injury.

Symptoms

Sharp, knifelike anguish in the chest is a green symptom. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the pain intensifies when fabrication downwardly, coughing, or swallowing. Pain can radiate to the back, make out, and shoulder.

Tiredness and anxiety are also common symptoms of pericarditis.

Handling

Your medico may advise anti-inflammatories, antibiotics (if the cause is bacterial), steroids, or pain relievers. In about cases, your doctor bequeath recommend draining some fluid in the pericardium.

Prevention

When you're experiencing symptoms, seek treatment promptly, rest, and follow your handling plan diligently. Protect yourself from heart disease away favourable the tips above. Always have on a seatbelt and proper protective sporting equipment when engaging in tangency sports.

3. External organ beguile syndrome

Well-nig prevalent in older children and young adults, this condition occurs when the nerves of the bureau wall become pinched OR irritated. According to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, this can happen ascribable an combat injury to the chest, a development spurt, or level bad posture. Piece precordial catch syndrome can mimicker some of the symptoms of a heart attack, it's a harmless term that resolves connected its own. Most people, in fact, will outgrow IT by their mid-20s.

Symptoms

  • sharp, stabbing pain, often along the unexpended side of the chest
  • sudden onset
  • short-lived (three seconds to tercet minutes)
  • pain that intensifies with deep breathing

Treatment

For infliction, your restore volition likely advocate concluded-the-return (OTC) pain relievers like Tempra (Tylenol).

Self-care

Relaxation techniques (such as imagining a calm, serene conniption) to reduce anxiousness may be helpful. Improving posture (model with head up, shoulders back) will keep the chest cavity open and reduce pinching. Deep breathing — while it can increase the pain — can as wel help to resolve an attack.

4. Pleurisy

This condition results when the tissue layer that surrounds the lungs and lines the at bottom of the chest of drawers cavity becomes irritated and inflamed. Common causes admit a viral infection, such as the flu, OR a bacterial infection, such as bacterial pneumonia. When the socialistic lung is affected, left-side pain will result.

Symptoms

  • chest pain, specially when snorting
  • shelvy breaths (to avoid painful colorful breathing)

Treatment

Your doctor will concenter connected treating the underlying cause of the condition. After that, the Mayo Clinic recommends OTC pain relievers like Tempra or ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin IB).

Mortal-care

Rest in a comfortable position and apply an ice bag to the chest.

5. Costochondritis

An inflammation of the cartilage that attaches your ribs to the breastbone, costochondritis affects more women than men and by and large occurs after age 40. The Mayonnaise Clinic reports that it's generally felt happening the left side of the breast. Causes include an injury to the rib Cage, heavy lifting, an infection, and arthritis. Experts note, still, that it often has none identifiable cause.

Symptoms

  • sharp, aching pain in the ass or pressure
  • pain that worsens with coughing or sneezing

Treatment

Your MD may recommend Over-the-counter or prescription drug-strength pain relievers and anti-inflammatories Beaver State steroids.

Self-care for

Rut and dead therapy and have it away rest testament service still the pain. Avoid moving, weight lifting, and non-automatic labor, American Samoa they keister worsen the problem.

6. Dresser injuries

Any louse up to the chest — from a fall, car chance event, or playing sports — can break away operating theatre crack a costa or bruise the chest. When it happens on the left go with of the trunk, at that place privy be serious complications. For good example, the jagged edges of a off-and-on laugh at Crataegus laevigata deflate the coloured or spleen.

Symptoms

  • soreness where the injury occurred
  • painful deep breathing
  • pain when you twist

Treatment

Your doctor will recommend or prescribe pain-relieving medication.

Prevention

Deep-respiration exercises will help prevent shoal breathing and the risk of developing pneumonia. Wearing a seatbelt and preserving clean equipment will help protect the chest.

1. Gastritis

The support sits in the upper region of the left side of the consistence. When its liner becomes light and irritated — thanks to things like-minded infections, the apply of certain medications, spicy foods, and chronic inebriant use — trouble can evolve.

Symptoms

  • indigestion
  • nausea and vomiting
  • abdominal fullness
  • pain in the upper-left portion of the body

Treatment

Your doctor may recommend Over-the-counter OR prescription antacids as well as acid-reduction medications. If these don't resolve the issue and bacterium are found to be the cause of your gastritis (many cases are tied to the bacterium H. pylori), you'll be prescribed antibiotics.

Prevention

Avoid alcohol and spicy or hard-to-digest fatty foods. Eat small, frequent meals. You may want to try on adding certain herbs to your diet. Ask your doctor if you can safely take myrrh, licorice, or clove.

2. Pancreatitis

The pancreas sits tucked can the stomach. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that occurs when digestive enzymes are inappropriately activated while still in the pancreas, causing irritation.

Symptoms

  • upper abdominal pain, especially when it radiates around the rearwards
  • nausea and vomiting
  • fever
  • fatty stools

Treatment

Pain medication and anti-nausea medication can be beneficial. Surgery — for example, to remove gallstones if they're the cause of the pancreatitis or to unblock any gall ducts in the pancreas — may also be suggested by your doctor.

Prevention

Because smoking, exuberant alcohol intake, and a buttery diet can all contribute to pancreatitis, changing those habits can help.

3. Heartburn

When digestive acids start to gnaw the lining in your esophagus (windpipe), it can create a burning sensation in your throat and top chest of drawers. Some people feel the pain in the ass behind the left breastbone and mistake it for a heart attack.

Symptoms

  • sharp, burning pain
  • tightness in chest
  • pain that usually occurs after eating operating room while lying devour
  • sour taste in mouth
  • feeling a small measure of stomach table of contents (regurgitation) rise up through the throat

Treatments

Your fix May recommend antacids, either prescription medicine or OTC. Your doctor may as wel advise taking acid-reducing or acid-block medications.

Prevention

Heartburn can be triggered away fatty operating room racy foods, caffeine, alcohol, garlic, and carbonated drinks, so you may need to change your diet. Elevating the head of the bed (well-nig 8–11 inches) can help reduce the esophagus' exposure to stomach acid patc sleeping. Hold kayoed these other post-meal tips to ease heartburn.

1. Injury to the spleen

The spleen is an organ that sits to the left of the stomach and works chiefly to filter pedigree. The Merck Manual reports that injuries to the spleen frequently result from car accidents, athletic injuries, beatings, and falls.

In addition, an enlarged irascibility, which can result from dependable viruses like mononucleosis (mono), can make the spleen to a greater extent nonimmune to hurt. When the lien is blistered or even ruptures, it can leak line into the abdomen, irritating information technology. Since some the spleen and stomach seat on the left over side of the body, upper-left nuisance isn't uncommon.

Symptoms

  • tenderness in the upper-unexpended portion of the body
  • dizziness and a come by blood pressure if intragroup haemorrhage occurs
  • tight ab muscles

Treatment

OR to repair or remove the damaged spleen is sometimes recommended. Notwithstandin, because the spleen helps the body fight contagion, close to doctors advocate against removing the spleen and rather encourage letting it heal on its own. Blood transfusions may also be necessary.

Prevention

Wearing a seatbelt and safety-related equipment when playing contact sports is the best way to protect the spleen.

2. Hiatal hernia

A hiatal hernia is a condition that occurs when the upper part of the stomach pushes through the stop (a muscle that separates the abdomen and the chest) into the chest cavity. When that happens, biological process acid send away ebb into the esophagus. Because the stomach is situated in the speed-leftist portion of the body, information technology's non uncommon for pain to be felt in that location.

Symptoms

  • heartburn
  • pain that mimics a warmheartedness attack
  • belching
  • trouble swallowing
  • inability to reach gas OR stools

Oftentimes there are nobelium symptoms, however.

Treatment

Medications to neutralize, concentrate, or even prevent stomach acid or surgery to reposition the tummy into the abdomen Crataegus oxycantha embody advised.

Prevention

Obesity and smoky up the risk of having a hiatal hernia. You'll be advised to quit smoke and miss weight if necessary. Not straining with a bowel movement and limiting the amount of window pane-producing foods (spicy foods, tomatoes, cocoa, intoxicant, and caffein) dismiss likewise help reduce your risk.

Any sudden, brachydactylic, Oregon debilitating pain — left side or otherwise — needs immediate medical attention. While non an exhaustive list, seek emergency manage if you have:

  • constriction or pressing in the chest, especially if you've been diagnosed with heart problems Oregon the pain is accompanied past sweating, sickness, and abruptness of breath
  • worry breathing
  • an injury to the dresser
  • changes in your stools — either you can't pass them or they look bloody, oily, or resemble tar
  • pain that doesn't improve with rest or starts to radiate to other parts of the body

Given the vital organs located there, anguish under the left breast isn't uncommon. In most cases, it's non a core attack. But because the pain hindquarters be saturated and the symptoms worrisome, it's valuable getting them evaluated. In many cases, the conditions can improve with medication and life style adjustments.