Heart problems at 24 years old?

[Rebecca888]

For about seven months, I have had difficulty breathing from time to time and have been experiencing piercing and often times, debilitating, pain in both my heart and my chest. A severe ache, sometimes leading to numbness, takes over my left arm and shoulder. This is brought on more rapidly through even the most gentle exercise. I have been to the hospital twice and had an EKG twice and a chest x-ray. They told me to go home and rest and that there was nothing they could do. But this pain keeps reoccurring and I don’t know what to do. My mother had an unprecedented heart attack at the age of 45 with no risk factors leading to this incident. To this day, the doctors have absolutely no idea why this heart attack occurred so they have told me to be extra careful. I’m deeply concerned about this pain but I do not know what else I can do to address it. Thanks.

[dolfnlvr]

I had this discussion with another member awhile back.  Please feel free to visit the following post.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/546287?post_id=post_3045952

[dolfnlvr]

Have you ever been tested for a genetic disorder called thrombophilia?  It is a rare, but very real, autoimmune related disorder that causes people to form blood clots that can dislodge and rush to the heart and lungs.  This can lead to unexplained heart attack (in a completely healthy heart) and death if left untreated.  

The treatment for this disorder is blood thiners and often veinous "filters" that keep these clots from traveling to the heart in the first place.  If it is known that you have the genetic marker, things can be done to significantly decrease your risk level.

Good luck.