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What Causes Abnormal Heart Beat, Chest Pain And Borderline Serum Iron Levels?

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Posted on Fri, 20 Dec 2013
Question: Hi, I am 23yo F with no medical conditions or significant medical history. Drugs - combined oral contraceptive. My problem is that the past 2-3days I am hyper-aware of my heart beat in my body - shoulder, left arm, leg, stomach - I can feel it all the time and the pulses in my neck feel unusually strong, I barely have to touch them to feel them, strongly. Heart rate is higher than normal, although still within normal range (normally = 70-80bpmm now at around 80-90pbm). I am not usually aware of my heart beat. I am in exams so I thought stress might be the culprit but it does not go away when I rest. I often get chest pains at rest and occasionally can feel my heart sort of "gallop" (I saw a doctor about that and was told it was nothing, but might be useful to know). I weigh 150lbs, am 5'7. I have not been active for school reasons, over the past 2 or so months, I usually am. I'd say I could definitely stand to eat more fruit and veg, but I don't smoke, and drink about 5 units per week on average. I am currently on my 7 day contraceptive break and am on my period. Have been told several times in the past that my serum iron is borderline low (have been restricted from donating blood as a result). My BP is usually a little high at the doctor's. Okay, I don't think there's anything else I can add to that, hopefully you can give me an indication as to whether or not this is something I should be worried about. Many thanks :)
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Answered by Dr. Shailja Puri (54 minutes later)
Brief Answer: History suggests cardiovascular diseases Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX The feeling of awareness of heart beat, feeling the pulses in the neck and pain in the chest at rest suggest a problem pertaining to the cardiovascular system. Awareness of heart beat is called palpitations and it can occur in anxiety, stress or a pathological condition of the heart. Chest pain at rest can occur due to a condition called angina. However, there are other causes of chest pain - gastritis, regurgitation are some of the causes of chest pain. Pulsations in the neck also occur in cardiovascular diseases. You need to consult a cardiologist for all these problems. A clinical examination and relevant investigations are required. Oral contraceptive pills are not the cause of these symptoms however, continuation of these pills can increase the cardiovascular risk. If you have more queries, I will be glad to answer. Thanks and take care Dr Shailja P Wahal
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
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Dr. Shailja Puri

Pathologist and Microbiologist

Practicing since :2006

Answered : 9705 Questions

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What Causes Abnormal Heart Beat, Chest Pain And Borderline Serum Iron Levels?

Brief Answer: History suggests cardiovascular diseases Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX The feeling of awareness of heart beat, feeling the pulses in the neck and pain in the chest at rest suggest a problem pertaining to the cardiovascular system. Awareness of heart beat is called palpitations and it can occur in anxiety, stress or a pathological condition of the heart. Chest pain at rest can occur due to a condition called angina. However, there are other causes of chest pain - gastritis, regurgitation are some of the causes of chest pain. Pulsations in the neck also occur in cardiovascular diseases. You need to consult a cardiologist for all these problems. A clinical examination and relevant investigations are required. Oral contraceptive pills are not the cause of these symptoms however, continuation of these pills can increase the cardiovascular risk. If you have more queries, I will be glad to answer. Thanks and take care Dr Shailja P Wahal