A cardiologist explains which side that chest pain is more likely to mean a heart problem or attack.
“Typically, left sided chest pain is more common in patients with angina and/or heart attacks,” says Donna P. Denier, MD, of The Cardiology Center with the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.
“This is because the heart is located slightly more to the left of the chest.
“There are patients who experience right sided chest pain and truly have heart disease.
“This is called referred pain and can travel anywhere like the jaw or the arm.
“Women can have symptoms that are not typical of the usual angina and this includes right sided chest pain.
“Very rarely, we do see people with a heart on the right side of the body! This is why it’s so important to report any chest pain to your doctor.”
Chest pain on the left side of your chest can have benign causes, but report anything that concerns you to a cardiologist, with the idea that a cardiac problem can be ruled out.
Heart attack symptoms
Dr. Denier has been practicing medicine for over 15 years and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine – Cardiovascular Disease.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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