The adolescent period is a special age for each person during which there is a process of change. If a teenager has pain in the region of the heart, which can be both physiological and pathological in nature, it is important to monitor the symptoms and conduct the correct diagnosis and correction of this condition. Consider the main causes, features of the treatment and prevention of heart disease in adolescents, on the advice of cardiologists.
Features of adolescence
In adolescence, there is a process of completing the maturation of all organs and systems in the body. This is a stressful period, and for each it manifests itself in different ways. The answer to the question of why heart pains in adolescents of 14 years, in some cases is precisely the teenage period.
Why it happens? During this age period, metabolic processes accelerate, weight and growth are actively increasing. The body of a teenager is subject to increased loads, which appear as a result of the following factors:
- blood vessels grow faster, the heart "does not have time" for such an accelerated development;
- the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland are actively functioning;
- tachycardia may result from changes in the autonomic part of the nervous system;
- body weight increases, the bones actively grow and strengthen, which makes the heart muscle work faster.
Often, you can also notice that children from 12 years old to adulthood are emotionally unstable. This is due to the fact that the central nervous system completes the formation process, so during this period the state of the cortex and subcortical structures changes.
Physiological reasons
Most often, the reason that a teenager’s heart hurts is precisely the physiological factor, that is, the characteristics of the development of the body during this period of adulthood. If until 10-12 years of age the pain in the area of the teenager’s heart did not bother, and suddenly he began to complain of dull pain, this may be evidence of incomplete closure of the mitral valve. With timely access to a cardiologist, the problem is easily solved.
Teenage girls may complain of chest pain before the start of the menstrual cycle, which is also a normal physiological process at this age.
Pain in the area of the heart may also appear after an infectious disease, sore throat or flu, since the child's protective functions of the body are reduced in adolescence. Such symptoms can pass on their own, but most often it develops as complications. This requires diagnosis and treatment by a specialist.
Among physiological factors, cardiologists also note a lack of carnitine, which is responsible for transporting nutrients to the cell. This condition is easily corrected.
Pathological factors that provoke heart pain
If a teenager often has a heart condition or pain does not go away for a long time, this may indicate the presence of a disease. It can be localized both in the heart and in other organs.
Cardiologists distinguish the following pathological causes in which pain occurs in the heart:
- neurocircular dystonia - disorders in the functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems affect the functionality of blood vessels and the heart;
- disorders in the circulatory system, especially in those arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle;
- heart defects;
- changes in the heart muscle, which may be the result of an infection;
- curvature of the spine when the sensitive fibers of the roots of the spinal cord are infringed or inflamed;
- neuralgia, neurosis;
- violations in the digestive tract (gastritis, duodenitis).
Sometimes it is also possible the presence of both physiological and pathological causes in the body, which can provoke pain.
Symptomatology
In order to find out why a teenager’s heart hurts, cardiologists first examine the available symptoms. It may be different depending on the cause of the development of pain and the state of the teenager.
Cardiologists distinguish the following main symptoms:
- stitching and periodic pain in the region of the heart, which is not accompanied by pathology, but the child is emotionally unstable (in this case, the cardiologist will advise you to reduce physical activity and the pain will disappear on its own);
- discomfort or constricting pain - this may indicate the development of ischemia, possibly even congenital pathologies;
- heart pain, swelling of the lower extremities, shortness of breath, blueness of the skin - the possible presence of heart disease;
- if the heart begins to hurt after eating, then the problem lies precisely in the digestive tract.
When should I see a doctor?
If the heart hurts in adolescence, do not make hasty conclusions. Some parents begin to panic and think about the development of a heart defect in the child. But such a diagnosis is made only by a specialist after a comprehensive examination. After all, such a pathology is usually detected in the first year of a baby's life, but there are exceptions.
In any case, when there are painful sensations in the region of the heart that periodically arise for no apparent reason, it is better to see a cardiologist. He will diagnose and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
What to do?
In order to identify the reason why the heart hurts in a teenager, a cardiologist conducts a number of diagnostic procedures.
What to do with heart pain?
- To begin with, it is worth identifying whether the adolescent is in the risk zone, that is, whether he had a history of cardiac pathologies. This category includes children who often suffer from tonsillitis, colds, or constant headaches. Also, these are adolescents suffering from excess or, conversely, lack of body weight, or those who are growing rapidly.
- It is worthwhile to find out if the teenager has curvature of the spine, which can also disrupt the functioning of the heart.
- In a certain period, preventive examinations of specialists are prescribed. It is important not to miss them.
If a teenager is pinched in the heart region after some kind of stressful situation, it is worth giving sedatives, and it will pass, on the advice of cardiologists. Also, experts insist that in the period from 10-12 years there is a hormonal restructuring, so pain can be associated with physiology.
But it is important at the same time to be examined by a cardiologist, since pathologies can have a latent form. For example, vegetovascular dystonia, rheumatism or viral myocarditis. They can develop both independently and as complications of diseases.
Diagnostics
What to do if a teenager has a heart condition, only a cardiologist will say after a series of diagnostic procedures.
In the case of periodic or constant pain, the following types of diagnostics are prescribed for both a teenager and an adult:
- ultrasound of the heart region (in this case, the doctor-diagnostician determines how the heart visually looks and if there are any changes in its shape);
- ECG - determines how well, correctly and functionally the heart works;
- blood pressure measurements (in the case of high rates, it can affect the functioning of the heart muscle);
- X-ray of the thoracic and cervical spine;
- gastroduodenoscopy (disturbances in the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract can cause pain in the region of the heart);
- general analysis of blood and urine to identify other pathologies or inflammatory processes that occur in the body.
If necessary, the cardiologist may schedule a consultation with other specialists. And only on the basis of a comprehensive examination, therapy is prescribed.
Cardiologist's tips for solving the problem
If a teenager has heart pain every day, then a cardiologist prescribes therapy after diagnosis and diagnosis. It can be medical or surgical. If the pain is periodic, then sedatives are prescribed in order to reduce the emotional burden, and recommendations are also given regarding a healthy lifestyle.
Therapy of pain in the heart without taking medications is to avoid stressful situations, conflicts, and establishing a sleep regimen. Also, physical activity should be moderate. With serious pathologies, sports are unacceptable. Correction of nutrition also occurs. It should be a gentle diet, light food, rich in nutrients.
It is worth knowing that potassium, calcium and magnesium are responsible for the work of the heart, the reserves of which in the body should be constantly replenished, on the advice of cardiologists. They help to strengthen blood vessels. So, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seeds), red beans, lentils, buckwheat, spinach and cucumbers are sources of magnesium in the body.
Potassium is found in orange fresh, beets, bananas, oatmeal, dried apricots and gourds. Calcium in soybeans, poppy seeds, sesame seeds. Caffeine is excluded from the diet, consumption of sugar and salt is reduced.
If a cardiologist prescribes drug therapy, then it can be antiarrhythmic drugs that enhance metabolism in the tissues of the heart, normalize the balance of electrolytes.
Heart disease prevention
In order not to wonder about why a teenager’s heart hurts, you should know and resort to preventive measures, on the advice of cardiologists.
- When the first pains in the region of the heart of an indefinite nature appear, it is worthwhile to undergo an examination by a cardiologist. In the early stages, the disorder is easily treatable.
- Colds are treated under the supervision of a doctor to avoid negative consequences in the form of complications on the heart muscle.
- Overweight or underweight children are at risk.
- A normal emotional state and a warm atmosphere in the family are the key to the health of the child.
- Even children with pathologies should moderate exercise. Otherwise, the muscles may atrophy.
- Diet is the maximum of useful substances that a child receives, which he needs for normal development.
How to protect yourself from heartache attacks?
In order not to wonder why a teenager’s heart sometimes hurts or he suffers from rheumatic seizures, it’s worthwhile to monitor changes in the heart muscle. Doctor consultation and treatment courses will help minimize such attacks and the possible development of irreversible effects.
It is also worth knowing that a lack of vitamins or a lack of sugar can adversely affect the work of the heart muscle.
In most cases, pain in the heart area in adolescents 13-15 years old is easily amenable to therapy. It is important for parents to be attentive to children and pay attention to the slightest changes in health.
Output
Why heartache in adolescents is an eternal question that plagues many parents. Cardiologists advise to seek advice when the first pains appear, since pathologies and abnormalities in the work of the heart muscle can be avoided. As a prevention, specialists focus on the normal emotional state, regular physical activity and proper and wholesome nutrition.