Left-sided pain on inhalation

definition

It is not easy to come up with a very clear definition for this type of pain. The nature of the pain can be very different and range from stabbing to pressing to pulling pain. However, the decisive aspect in this context is the fact that the pain is dependent on the thoracic movement caused by breathing. However, this is only a symptom of an underlying disease that should be further clarified.

The possible causes

The causes of pain when inhaling in the left side are extremely diverse, with more common and less common causes.

The most common causes usually have to do with the lungs or the adjacent ribs. The cause is less common in the upper abdomen, the heart or even the esophagus.

Find out all about the topic here: The lung pain.

The gastric mucosal inflammation

Inflammation of the stomach lining can have various causes; Regardless of this, it can lead to pain when inhaling. From an anatomical point of view, the stomach lies in the left to middle part of the upper abdomen and is delimited above the lungs by the diaphragm.

In rare cases there may be adhesions between the stomach and the overlying diaphragm. Since the diaphragm rises and falls slightly with every breath, but shifts significantly with deep breaths, this movement can be transferred to the stomach. Since the inflamed stomach lining is sensitive to pain, this movement can lead to the development of pain.

For more information, read on: The gastric mucosal inflammation.

The pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a potentially dangerous disease in which the blood vessels that carry blood to the lungs for oxygenation become blocked. In many cases pulmonary embolism occurs in very small blood vessels, which then do not pose a problem; rarely, however, the blood clots that clog the vessel can be so large that one of the main blood vessels is affected. As a result, a large part of the lungs can no longer be supplied with blood.

People who suffer from a pulmonary embolism can both feel acute pain, which mainly results from the occlusion of a large blood vessel, or, as a result of the reduced blood flow, develop pneumonia with adjacent inflammation of the pulmonary membrane, which is then noticeable as pain.

Find out more about the topic here: The pulmonary embolism.

The esophagitis

Esophagitis can have various causes, but in most cases it is due to a so-called reflux disease, which is popularly known as heartburn. The acidic gastric juice hits the skin of the esophagus, which is not designed for it, which then becomes inflamed and painful. However, this clinical picture rarely manifests itself as pain in the left breast area. Although the transition from the esophagus to the stomach is more likely to be located in the left upper abdomen, the pain in the case of an esophagitis is mostly projected onto the middle of the chest. Of course, anatomical variants are possible in which the esophagus runs significantly further to the left, which could explain left-sided pain. However, this is an absolute exception.

However, by taking a precise history, the doctor can quickly discover that certain symptoms can only be an inflammation of the esophagus.

Also read the article: The esophagitis.

The heart attack

A heart attack is a fatal disease in which there is traditionally pain in the left chest. If one relies on medical textbooks, this left-sided chest pain is extremely painful in nature, up to and including fear of dying from the pain. The pain typically radiates to the left arm and cannot be improved by any movement or breathing techniques. Furthermore, a heart attack classically leads to so-called angina pectoris symptoms; a massive tightness in the chest - as if you had placed a heavy stone on your chest.

However, not all heart attacks follow the textbook, so one or both of these symptoms may be absent.Women in particular only report these complaints in exceptional cases. Due to the danger of a heart attack, if pain in the left chest suddenly occurred, a heart attack is assumed until the diagnosis has definitely ruled it out.

Find out all about the topic here: Heart attack.

The aortic aneurysm

An aortic aneurysm is an expansion of the so-called abdominal aorta, i.e. the blood vessel that is essential for the body's blood supply. Up to a certain diameter, this bulging is not a cause for concern, but if an aortic aneurysm has been diagnosed, it should be checked at regular intervals in order to take note of any increase in size and, if necessary, to initiate therapeutic measures.

The abdominal artery also runs past the heart on the left, so it tends to pull to the left. If the lungs expand while breathing, it is possible that the lungs touch the enlarged abdominal artery. This contact, which does not take place in the normal state, can trigger a painful stimulus on the pleura or on the widened abdominal artery.

An aortic aneurysm can occur throughout the abdominal artery, from its departure from the heart to its branching in the pelvis. It is not dangerous per se, but it can lead to life-threatening bleeding if the strained aortic wall ruptures. As a rule, a so-called aortic rupture is then fatal.

Find out more about this topic at: The aortic aneurysm.

The pleurisy

Inflammation of the pleura is usually the result of pneumonia and is usually more painful, i.e. simple pneumonia. The pleura forms a boundary layer between the lung tissue and the inner chest cavity. A layer is placed on both the lungs and the ribs, between which there is a thin film of liquid, which enables the two structures to slide comfortably and without contact with one another. In addition, the pleura differs from the lung tissue in that it is permeated with pain-sensing nerves, which is not the case with lung tissue.

In pleurisy, the inflammatory messenger substances lead to increased stimulation of these pain-perceiving nerves, the more the lungs expand. Thus, in pleurisy, every expansion of the lungs, as well as every contraction, is associated with pain. Since the inflammation is connected with the production of tough mucus, it can also lead to adhesions between the two layers of the pleura. If the pleurisy is not treated properly, it can lead to adhesions, which can lead to painful breathing even after the acute illness subsides.

Find out all about the topic here: The pleurisy.

Problems with the shoulder blade

Problems with the shoulder blade can be of a variety of nature and cause pain when breathing in, as the shoulder blade is a flexible structure that is supported by muscle tension on the ribs. Correspondingly, the shoulder blade is subject to a small amount of movement with each chest rise and fall. If there is a fracture of the shoulder blade, the breathing movements cause the broken parts to shift slightly against each other, which can cause the pain.

In addition, the shoulder blade can irritate nerves that run through it or run along it. This can also cause pain. Inflammation of the joint in which the shoulder blade and collarbone are connected is also conceivable. Here, too, movements of the shoulder blade as a result of breathing lead to movement in the inflamed joint, which is painful.

Cardiac arrhythmias

As a result of cardiac arrhythmias, angina pectoris (tightness of the chest) symptoms can occur, as we know them from heart attacks. The reason for this is a reduced blood supply to the coronary arteries. While those are completely closed in a heart attack, fulminant cardiac arrhythmias ensure that the heart no longer pumps enough blood to transport it into the coronary arteries. Thus, there is a temporary insufficient supply of the heart tissue with blood.

As with a heart attack, this pain, when present, radiates to the left arm and, in the case of cardiac arrhythmias, can also be associated with shortness of breath. As a rule, this pain is not breath-dependent, but it may increase in intensity when you breathe in, as the expanded lungs leave the heart a little less room to expand.

Possible accompanying symptoms

Unfortunately, there are no typical accompanying symptoms for breathing-dependent pain in the left chest. Since these pains, which are themselves a symptom, can be based on a number of different diseases, other accompanying symptoms are as different as the causes themselves.

If, for example, an inflammation of the esophagus or the gastric mucosa were the cause, the pain would become more severe, especially when swallowing or eating. In addition, thickened lymph nodes in the neck area could be felt when the esophagus was inflamed. A pleurisy or pneumonia would also be accompanied by a high fever, severe exhaustion, difficulty breathing properly and possibly concretized or reddened sputum. Heart attack, on the other hand, is usually accompanied by severe nausea and shortness of breath.

Cardiac arrhythmias can usually be felt by those affected by having the feeling that their heart is not pumping regularly. It is usually cardiac arrhythmias that make the heart beat too fast that are noticed. Depending on how long this lasts, it can lead to fainting because the brain is not supplied with enough fresh blood.

Left side pain on inhalation under the ribs

From an anatomical point of view, the spleen, kidney and stomach are located below the ribs on the left side as prominent structures that could cause pain here. The respiratory dependence of the pain suggests that the lungs must have at least indirect contact with the structure.

For a more detailed examination, an ultrasound device would be available at this point, with the help of which one can take a closer look at both the left kidney and the spleen and whether this is an inflammatory process.

Also read the article: Pain under the ribs on inhalation.

The diagnosis

The correct diagnosis is not so easy to make in left-sided, breath-dependent chest pain. As you can see, there are a number of potential causes that require both different diagnostics and different treatments.

The most important clue to determine whether the incident is life-threatening is the medical history that the doctor takes from the patient. If one can then think of a life-threatening illness, blood pressure measurement, EKG and blood samples usually follow. In rare cases, an imaging examination may then be necessary. The ultrasound examination is the one with the lowest radiation exposure for the body. Sometimes, however, this is not enough, so that a CT or MRI must be used.

The therapy

Just like so many other things in this section, treatment depends on the underlying condition that is causing the left chest pain. Using a few examples, one can see quite well how drastically the therapies of the individual causes differ

For example, an aneurysm in the abdominal artery would be checked at regular intervals to see if it was enlarging or not. If it has then reached a limit value or if the regular check suggests that the increase in size will continue, the aneurysm must be surgically removed and bridged. Heart attack, on the other hand, is a condition that requires prompt action and immediate hospitalization. The blood must be thinned and the constriction within the coronary arteries opened up as quickly as possible so that the heart muscle can be supplied with blood again as soon as possible.

In turn, pleurisy must be treated with antibiotics. Depending on the patient's condition, this can be done on an outpatient basis via a check-up by the family doctor or as an inpatient treatment in the hospital. With the help of drugs that are supposed to curb gastric acid production somewhat. Only if there are repeated inflammations does the whole thing have to be clarified by a specialist

Find out more about the topics here:

• Therapy of an aortic aneurysm
• Therapy of a heart attack

The duration

The duration or prognosis of the illness is as different as the underlying illnesses themselves. From relatively harmless diagnoses such as gastric mucosal inflammation to heart attack, which is associated with an almost 50 percent probability of death, there is a broad spectrum.

The gastric mucosal inflammation can be treated well with the help of proton pump inhibitors and is usually eliminated within a month. Quite different with a heart attack. This usually requires a cardiac catheter as an interventional procedure and entails a long list of rehabilitation measures. The heart may also no longer achieve its original pumping capacity.

The course of the disease

The course of the disease is again completely dependent on the underlying disease. For example, while a one-time esophagitis heals within a few days and does not actually leave any lasting damage, a heart attack, on the other hand, is always accompanied by damage to the heart muscle, which is expressed in a more or less restricted ability of the heart to contract. The healthy initial state can never be reached again here, but only lived with the restriction as well as possible.