More Information About the Diagnosis

— -- A. BLOOD VESSEL PROBLEM: Blood vessels are part of the circulatory system -- the system of arteries, veins and capillaries that carry blood from your heart to your body and back again. Problems like "hardening of the arteries," where blood vessels become blocked or rigid, can make circulation difficult. Or a blood vessel can rub against the coating of a nerve, causing pain.

B. CANKER SORE: Canker sores are small, shallow ulcers that usually appear in the mouth. (Canker sores are not the same as cold sores or fever blisters, which are caused by a virus and are extremely contagious.) The cause of most canker sores is unknown, though stress or tissue injury is suspected, like from a sharp tooth surface or dental appliance. Some are caused by use of anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, or by nutritional deficiencies or gastrointestinal disease.

C. STOMACH CANCER: Stomach cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the three layers of tissue that line the stomach. Age, diet and stomach disease can affect the risk of developing a gastric cancer. Some risk factors include being older, male and having a family history of such cancers.

D. HEART ATTACK: A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Without blood and its oxygen, the muscle of the heart starts to die. Heart attacks are often signaled by pain or pressure in the chest, and the pain may spread down the left shoulder and arm and to other areas, like the back, neck, jaw or arm.