Pain in the heart of children

Often parents complain to family doctors and pediatricians for pain in the heart of children. To correctly diagnose an ailment that causes such painful sensations, it is necessary to learn and analyze many factors. Of great importance is how long are such pains, how often they arise, where exactly are localized, what factors can ease the condition, and which aggravate and much more.

Mostly, the pain in the heart area in children can be given the following characteristic: they are felt in the tip of the heart muscle and do not give away anywhere, are stabbing, with physical exercises or other load are not connected. There is also a nuance: if during the pain in the heart of the child's attention in any way distract from them - then they themselves stop. In addition, blocking the pain and help sedatives, which indicates the connection of pain in the heart in children with some stressful situations.

What hurt children's hearts

Let's try to list the main causes of pain in the heart of children:

1. As a rule, pain in the heart of children is not associated with any problem in the heart muscle itself. In the case when the growth of the vessels is faster than the growth of the heart itself and the blood supply is too intense, the child may feel pain. This phenomenon is called cardialgia and it affects mainly children of primary school age - it is during this period that they begin the stage of rapid growth. There is also a certain relationship between the type of the child's character, his emotional state and cardialgia. At especially mobile and emotional children such physical activities, as run or fast walking can arise pains in heart. But, as soon as the respiratory rhythm recovers, the child rests both physically and emotionally - the pain stops. 
2. Violation of autonomic regulation can also provoke pain in the heart in adolescent children. This phenomenon is one of the manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia. Typical pain in violation of autonomic regulation - stitching, localized on the left side of the chest, can be felt in the left armpit and arise in a completely calm state. 
3. It often happens that a small child can not accurately show the place where he feels pain. For example, it can point to an area near the heart while it actually hurts the stomach. Indeed, a number of pathologies of other organs can cause sensations of "not real" pain in the heart. This, for example, osteochondrosis in the early stages, or scoliosis. Also, neuroses can cause such feelings. Gastroenterological problems, such as cholecystocholangitis or biliary dyskinesia, can cause the child to complain of pain in the heart. 
4. If the pain in the heart is caused by neuroses, then it is also accompanied by some motor anxiety and emotional manifestations. The very nature of such pain is piercing, it is palpable in the upper part of the heart muscle. 
5. Sometimes the child has sharp pains during coughing or inhaling. By this sign, it can be assumed that the source of such sensations is the near-cardiac region, pleura or mediastinum. At the same time, such a pain can occur during a fast walk, and a few minutes after stopping the movement it passes. Among physicians such a symptom is customarily attributed to angina pectoris. But, do not forget that this can also be a manifestation of some disorders or injuries of the skeleton in the child. 
6. Viral myocarditis can develop during the acute form of the current acute respiratory disease (acute respiratory disease, influenza). Another dangerous signal may be heart pain in children after a two or three weeks ago infectious disease caused by streptococcus, such as scarlet fever or sore throat. Rheumatism develops in such conditions. But, heart pain in children is not the only symptom of the above diseases. In these cases, general malaise, joint pain, intoxication, cardiac disruptions and others also join it. To postpone visit to the doctor in the event that there were suspicions on a virus myocarditis or rheumatism in no event it is impossible. 
7. Pericarditis, a sharp widening of the major vessels or the heart muscle itself and abnormal coronary circulation may provoke cardialgia associated with the defeat of the child's heart. Pericarditis can cause two different types of pain in the heart. The first type is pleural pain. They are associated with movements during breathing and can be aggravated during a deep breath or cough. The second type - simulating stenocardia or myocardial infarction pressing pressure behind the sternum. In any case, pericarditis provokes pain of pressing character. By its intensity, the pain can be both sharp and insignificant. 
8. If the child underwent surgery on an open heart, then he may develop post-cardiotomy syndrome. After a few weeks after surgery, it manifests itself with dull pain behind the sternum, arthralgia and fever. The body reacts to damage in the heart cells by expanding the boundaries of the heart muscle, increased levels of ESR, increased production of antibodies in the blood relative to the heart muscle. This reaction is called hyperergic.

What to do, so that the heart does not hurt

Some parents mistakenly think that the pain in the heart of children is uniquely associated with vice. Basically, such a diagnosis doctors put already at the first examinations of a newborn child. There are, unfortunately, exceptions, when congenital malformation is detected already at a more adult age.

It is very important not to delay with a visit to the doctor if the child continues to complain about the pain that arises in the region of the heart. But, it is also not appropriate immediately to panic and draw the most terrible pictures of terrible diseases. A visit to a pediatrician or a pediatric cardiologist can clarify the situation and show why there is pain in the heart of children. For this, you may need to perform an electrocardiogram or an ultrasound examination of the heart. In the event that the cardiologist does not find out the obvious reasons for his part, he can direct the child to a further examination to the gastroenterologist, neurologist or orthopedist.