right chest pain when running

  I was diagnosed with very mild form of mitral valve prolapse and aortic valve prolapse.  Doctors said it is nothing to worry about.  However, I've been very tired lately and when I run I get chest pains in my right chest.  If I walk, even briskly, it doesn't bother me.  ONly when I run.  I also can sometimes feel my heart beating so hard, esp when I lie down.  Any suggestions?  Thank you.  I'm 30,y/o, non-smoker, 5'11, 180.  Relatively good health
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Dear Tom,
Thank you for your question.  There are many causes of chest pain and this should be carefully looked at by your doctor.  Some physicians think that MVP itself can cause chest pain but there is no clear consensus on this issue.  I have listed some potential causes of chest pain below.
Amongst the cardiac causes of chest pain are: ischemia (due to blockages - including both stable and unstable angina and acute heart attack), pericarditis (inflammation of the sack around the heart), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), cardiomyopathy (heart failure) and rarer causes such as coronary artery dissection, acute rupture of the heart and valves and infections of the pericardium.
Gastrointestinal causes of chest pain include reflux (acid from the stomach washing back into the esophagus), gallstones, esophageal spasm, esophageal rupture, varicose veins of the esophagus, strictures of the esophagus, tumors of the esophagus and other less common GI problems.
Pulmonary (lung) causes include pneumonia, pulmonary embolus, pneumothorax, pleuritis and bleb rupture.
Other potential causes are aortic dissection, back and spine problems and musculoskeletal (muscle strain, rib fracture, etc.).
Psychological causes of chest pain are common and include panic attacks, anxiety, stress and mental duress.
As you can see the list of potential causes in long and may take a little bit of time to determine the precise cause.  A good Internal Medicine doctor should be able to work through the potential causes of your symptoms.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.