Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor
Informed patients make better patients.
Question:
Should I make an appointment with a cardiologist? Heart problems run in my family.
Hello, I am a 23 year old female..sometimes I get stabbing, sharp pain in the middle of my chest and left side and occasionally I will get pain in my jaw. I went to the ER and they did an X-ray and EKG and took blood. The doctor said everything came back normal and my EKG looked perfect. But I still get the pain and it worries me because heart problems run in my family. My grandfather has had several heart attacks and my mother has a rapid heartbeat and "leaky valve". Should I make an appointment with a cardiologist? Thanks.
submitted by Ashley from West Virginia on 12/16/09
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Roberta C. Bogaev, MD
Ashley, You are appropriate to be concerned about your chest pain, even though you are young. Cardiac disease runs in your family and may place you at greater risk. Women can have different symptoms than men. Additionally, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of all women. At your age, obstructive coronary artery disease is very unlikely. However, congenital heart disease is common and some people are born with abnormalities of their heart arteries that may not present until adulthood. Women are also more likely to have spasm of their coronary arteries.
Although the ER physician excluded an impending heart attack, I would still recommend that you follow up with a cardiologist who can evaluate for other possible causes of your chest pain. In the interim, if you have chest pain that persists more than 5 minutes without resolving or subsiding, call 911 and present to the ER for evaluation.
Thank you for contacting "Ask a THI Doctor". Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
See also on this site:
Has your question or a similar one already been answered?
Search all the Heart Doctor questions and answers.
| Heart Information Center services are made possible in part by a generous gift from the Hamill Foundation. |
Updated December 2009
