Is lack of blood to the heart the only type of pain related to the heart?

There are different characteristics and precipitating factors that we, as physicians, ask the patients when trying to determine whether the chest pain is truly due to a lack of blood to the heart. There are multiple other causes of chest pain. Concerning the heart, one can also experience chest pain secondary to inflammation of the outer sac of the heart, called pericarditis. This pain is typically worse when one lies down and better when sitting up. The most common cause is a viral syndrome. Therefore, it is usually preceded by a fever, cold, or flu-like symptoms.