What parents should pay attention to
As mentioned just above, reasons for concern when a child has pain in the heart area may not only be cardiac diseases. Pay attention to how often your child's pain occurs and how long it lasts. Observe whether there is shortness of breath after vigorous physical activity.
It is advisable to take the pulse at the moment when the child complains of chest pain, and also ask if anything else is bothering you.
If you notice any unusual changes in your baby’s behavior, be sure to inform the doctor at your appointment. The child may not immediately contact the doctor, so it is worth finding out in advance what is bothering your child.
Causes of heart attack in teenagers
Heart attacks in minors are a rare disease. In most cases, a teenager becomes a victim of a heart attack for the following reasons:
- An underlying congenital heart disease that has gone undetected.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart muscle cells), an inherited disease.
- Kawasaki disease (inflammation of blood vessels), which is also inherited.
- Pericarditis (inflammation or irritation and swelling surrounding the heart), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
- Excess weight, which leads to type II diabetes and increased blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol levels.
- Smoking, a major risk factor for heart attacks.
- Congenital heart abnormality (problems in the structure of the heart).
Causes of pain in the heart area
Among non-cardiac reasons:
- diseases of the spine;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - the child has pain in the heart area due to irradiation of pain from the stomach;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- emotional experiences;
- neurological disorders, etc.
If we talk about diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the reasons may be:
- myocarditis;
- endocarditis;
- pericarditis;
- rheumatism;
- aortic aneurysm, etc.
There is no need to panic - the best thing you can do is to go to a specialist as soon as possible.
Chest pain in children
Whooping cough
Gastritis
Ulcer
13430 March 11
IMPORTANT!
The information in this section cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, diagnostic tests should be prescribed only by the attending physician. To make a diagnosis and properly prescribe treatment, you should contact your doctor. Chest pain in children: causes of occurrence, what diseases it occurs with, diagnosis and treatment methods.
Definition
The physiological significance of any pain is associated with the protection of the body from destruction, i.e. with a warning system about real or potential danger of damage. The pain signal ensures timely mobilization of the body's defenses.
When it comes to a child, his complaints of pain must be treated with special care, since children cannot always accurately characterize its specifics and even localization.
Chest pain can be caused by both intense physical activity and serious diseases of the organs located in the chest.
The sensation of pain significantly limits the activity of a small child, which can affect his psychomotor development. At an older age, pain can cause problems with the child’s socialization and adaptation in the children’s group.
Types of chest pain in children
There are acute and chronic pain, and depending on its nature - stabbing, pressing, squeezing, aching.
Possible causes of chest pain in children
Children often complain of chest pain after intense physical activity. If such complaints are isolated, then the appearance of pain can be explained by overstrain of the ligamentous apparatus - in this case, after a short rest, the pain disappears on its own and is not considered pathological.
Chest pain may result from an injury (such as a broken rib).
Pain that occurs after eating should alert parents, since it can serve as a symptom of a gastrointestinal tract disease, for example, gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis or gastric ulcer, either alone or combined with such manifestations as belching, sour taste in the mouth, heaviness in the abdomen, difficulty defecating.
Various respiratory diseases (for example, whooping cough) associated with a debilitating cough often cause chest pain in children. This is due to excessive tension in the intercostal muscles. Chest pain with pneumonia may be associated with the spread of the inflammatory process to the pleura. In this case, the child usually takes a forced position, sparing the affected side, a superficial cough and a rise in body temperature are observed.
Some diseases (lung abscess, tuberculosis) are fraught with the development of pneumothorax (accumulation of air in the pleural cavity, leading to collapse of lung tissue and compression of the blood vessels of the mediastinum).
Chest pain that occurs or worsens during movement is often a symptom of damage to the spinal nerve roots due to poor posture, scoliosis, or spina bifida.
In adolescence, chest pain is associated with intensive growth of the musculoskeletal system and delayed development of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Such pain may be accompanied by rapid heartbeat, dizziness and other unpleasant subjective sensations in the chest.
Prolonged chest pain can be caused by infectious diseases, such as herpes zoster caused by type IV herpes. The disease is characterized by the appearance of small, profuse rashes along the affected nerve, often in the chest area. This rash is very itchy and causes significant discomfort.
Among the heart diseases that cause chest pain in children, myocarditis should be highlighted. It often develops against the background of an acute respiratory viral infection or intestinal infection (caused, for example, by the Coxsackie virus) or within two weeks after it. Young children with an unfavorable perinatal history are most susceptible to developing myocarditis. An increase in body temperature is often the first symptom of the development of myocarditis. Subsequently, shortness of breath and pain in the chest area appear, the child becomes restless, whiny, and reflex vomiting may occur.
Myocardial infarction (impaired oxygen delivery to the myocardium, leading to necrosis of the heart muscle) is an extremely rare disease in children.
A heart attack can occur as a result of atherosclerosis in familial forms of hyperlipidemia, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery, Kawasaki disease, vasculitis of the coronary arteries, and infective endocarditis. The disease is characterized by burning pain in the chest, as well as difficulty breathing, sweating, shortness of breath, and decreased blood pressure. In isolated cases, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea are noted.
If all somatic (physical) pathologies are excluded and chest pain persists, it is necessary to pay attention to the child’s mental state. Children and adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders often complain of chest pain, palpitations and difficulty breathing.
Which doctors should I contact if I have chest pain in children?
If a child experiences chest pain, you should contact him. After an examination and medical history, the doctor will prescribe a set of laboratory and instrumental studies and consultations with specialists.
An examination by a pediatric cardiologist, orthopedist, rheumatologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, or psychiatrist may be required.
Diagnosis and examinations for chest pain in children
In most cases, making a diagnosis requires a set of laboratory and instrumental studies, a list of which is compiled by the doctor, focusing on the patient’s condition and existing symptoms.
- Clinical blood test: general analysis with platelet count, leukoformula, ESR (with microscopy of a blood smear in the presence of pathological changes).
When should you see a doctor if your child has a stabbing sensation in the heart area?
If the episode is isolated and the child does not notice any unusual phenomena accompanying it, then it is still worth making an appointment with a specialist.
If pain in the heart area occurs systematically, do not ignore it under any circumstances, but do not panic either - your emotional stress should not be passed on to the child.
Recurring episodes require contacting a doctor. It is especially important to consult a doctor as soon as possible if you have symptoms such as fever, fainting, or weakness.
If you have pain in the heart area, you should first contact your pediatrician. The doctor will perform an examination, listen to the heart and then (if necessary) give a referral to a highly specialized doctor - a pediatric cardiologist. You will not have to waste precious time in queues if you contact JSC “Medicine” (clinic of Academician Roitberg). Diagnostic measures are carried out promptly. Treatment will most likely be prescribed on the day of treatment (it all depends on the diagnosis and its form).
How to strengthen a child's heart
One of the most important indicators of a child’s health is the condition of his heart, which, at the same time, is subject to the greatest danger. Every year, an increasing number of childhood heart diseases are being identified, which can be either congenital or acquired. There are many reasons for this:
- Exposure of a pregnant woman to hazardous production during work;
- Previous intrauterine infections;
- Pathology of a genetic nature;
- Excessive loads;
- Sedentary lifestyle;
- Complications from previous colds;
- Incorrect or unbalanced diet.
Where to start?
Of course, every expectant mother wants to have a healthy baby. But this needs to be taken care of in advance - before he is born, and even before conception. To do this, a woman must first take care of her health in order to give her child strong immunity. Constant walks in the fresh air, proper nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle contribute to this. You need to avoid contact with sick people and take care of yourself both before and during pregnancy. You need to forget about bad habits, if not for your own sake, then certainly for the sake of your future generation. Moreover, this also applies to the second parent, and in general to all family members - nicotine has no place in the house where a newborn appears, and passive smoking in this regard is even more dangerous than active smoking.
Nutrition for a child's heart
The right foods strengthen the heart of the expectant mother and child. In particular, these are:
- Lean meats;
- A variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and herbs;
- Fish;
- Fermented milk dishes.
Cereals and sprouted seeds play a special role among this diversity. Thanks to them, it is possible to avoid excess cholesterol in the blood and the detection of diabetes in the future. They are rich in microelements and vitamins valuable for heart health - B, K, C, E, zinc, potassium, magnesium. Daily “oatmeal” in the morning will saturate the body with fatty acids, strengthen the heart muscle, and cleanse the body of harmful toxins.
The green color of vegetables seems to symbolize growth, strength, and health for the body and heart. The tops of vegetables, which can be used for food, turn out to be much healthier than the rhizomes themselves. During the season of green leafy vegetables, you should include large quantities of lettuce and beets, radishes, carrots, radishes, spinach and broccoli in your daily diet. They just contain a sea of microelements! Children enjoy eating green smoothies and salads seasoned with vegetable oils: olive, flaxseed, sesame. All this is very useful for the child’s immunity and growing bones, and also helps strengthen the barrier to harmful bacteria, tumors and viruses. Vegetable oils are also an excellent preventative against constipation and parasites, which children are often susceptible to.
Nuts are a real storehouse of fats, without which it is difficult for the heart to function normally. It is enough for a child to eat at least a handful of peanuts, walnuts or almonds a day, and, among other things, his body will be provided with vitamin E and protein, thinking, memory and other useful functions of the brain will develop.
Fruits, vegetables and berries are also good for nourishing a child's heart. There are many of them, but apples, tomatoes, blueberries and rowan, especially chokeberries, are of particular importance in this regard. Tasty and healthy berry, vegetable and fruit juices and teas will also appeal to children; it is useful to alternate them with herbal infusions. And no sweet, salty or fatty excesses!
Movement is life, but without fanaticism!
You should not let your child sit in one place for a long time, especially in front of the TV, telephone or computer. Excessive enthusiasm for studying, when there is no time left for outdoor games and other movement, can cause no less harm to children's health. A sedentary lifestyle, especially coupled with an unhealthy diet, will quickly lead to obesity, which cannot but affect the heart. If the problem is already evident, then you need to immediately contact the children's clinic, without waiting for even greater complications.
The child’s movement and rest should not only be complete, but also within reason. Sleep is one of the important moments, it should be on schedule, and in the morning a light warm-up is necessary. Walks must be included in the morning, afternoon or evening, but before exposing the child’s body to great physical activity, you should consult a doctor. Sports are good, but excessive stress is dangerous for the heart, especially for children, especially if they already have health problems. Dancing, swimming pool, karate, etc. - any section should begin with a cardiologist and end with him. Not a single child’s complaint should be left unattended!
Heart and weight
It is necessary to maintain a healthy weight for the child. Due to poor nutrition (chips, soda, snacks on the go) and poor diet, today there are many overweight children. Obesity puts additional stress on the heart.
Remember that coffee and energy drinks should not be consumed before the age of 16.
Develop your child's habit of eating healthy foods from childhood, as well as leading an active lifestyle.
Colds - no
Heart disease can be triggered even by a common cold, which drags on over time and develops into more severe forms of the disease.
Sore throat and infectious diseases can leave a mark on a child’s heart.
Therefore, it is important to strengthen the child’s immunity and not allow him to suffer from a cold on his feet. At the Clinic of Allergy and Pediatrics, a pediatric cardiologist will give you recommendations on how to strengthen your child’s heart, tell you how to eat properly, follow a daily routine, and what sports activities are necessary. Do not neglect the advice of specialists!
