What do pain and discomfort in your chest and arm mean

"Chest pain could be pneumonia or a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. Don’t wait for pain," says A. Thomas Blanford, MD, who practices internal medicine at Baptist Medical Associates.

Heart patients talk about pressure. A person experiencing discomfort associated with heart disease will clench his or her fist and t over his or her chest or say it’s feels like an elephant sitting on their chest.

The discomfort associated with heart disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. "Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as heartburn or gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Call 911 or get to an emergency room or physician’s office. If it turns out to be something else, that’s great," Ddr. Blanford explains.

Intermittent discomfort should be taken seriously as well. There might be a pattern, such as discomfort related to excitement, emotional upset or exertion. For example, if you experience it when you’re gardening, but it goes away when you sit down, that’s angina.

A woman’s discomfort signs can be more subtle. Heart disease can masquerade as GI symptoms, such as bloating, GI distress or discomfort in the abdomen. It’s also associated with feeling tired.

Risk for heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. It kills more women than men, even though men are at higher risk at any age.