Cardiac pain (synonyms: cardialgia; left thoracic pain; pericardial pain; precordial pain; precordial pain; pain in the region of the heart; ICD-10-GM R07.2: precordial pain) can have many different causes.
One can distinguish purely physical pain in the area of the heart from “psychological” heart pain, heartbreak.
Pain in the thorax (chest) does not always have to be caused by a disease of the heart, such as myocardial infarction (heart attack). Often, the cause is lung disease (pneumonia/ pneumonia, pulmonary embolism (blockage of pulmonary vessels by a detached thrombus (blood clot)), diaphragmatic or stomach disorders (gastritis/ gastritis), diseases of the esophagus (esophagus; e.g. e.g. gastroesophageal reflux disease/diseased reflux of acidic gastric juice and other stomach contents into the esophagus), spinal and joint disorders, and muscle tension.
Cardiac pain can be a symptom of many conditions (see under “Differential Diagnoses”).
Frequency Peak: Cardiac pain that occurs as a symptom of heart disease occurs predominantly in middle to older age. Psychogenic cardiac pain can occur at any age.
Course and Prognosis: Heart pain can be a symptom of a serious condition such as coronary artery disease (CAD; coronary artery disease), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), or myocardial infarction. They should always be taken seriously, especially if heart disease is known. The course and prognosis of cardiac pain depend on the underlying disease.
