Chest pain is a very common symptom. Although some people with chest pain describe their sensations as discomfort, tension, pressure, gas, burning, or aching, the pain can be severe or dull. Sometimes people also have pain in their back, neck, jaw, upper abdomen, or arms. Other pains such as nausea, coughing, or difficulty breathing may occur depending on the cause of the chest pain.
Many people are well aware that chest pain is a warning of a potentially life-threatening disorder and seek evaluation with minimal symptoms. Others, including people with many serious medical conditions, minimize or ignore the warning.
Causes of chest pain
Many disorders cause chest pain or chest discomfort. Not all of these disorders have to do with the heart. Chest pain can also be caused by disorders of the digestive tract, lungs, muscles, nerves, or bones.
common cause
Overall, the most common cause of chest pain is
Disorders of the ribs, costal cartilage disorders, pectoral muscle disorders (musculoskeletal chest wall pain), or nerve disorders in the chest
Inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the lungs ( pleurisy )
Indigestion (such as reflux esophagitis or cramps , ulcer disease , or cholelithiasis )
Heart attack or angina ( acute coronary syndrome and stable angina )
Coronary artery syndrome (heart attack or unstable angina) involves sudden blockage of an artery in the heart (coronary) that blocks the blood supply to the area around the heart muscle. When part of the heart muscle dies because it does not get enough blood, it is called a heart attack (myocardial infarction). In stable angina , long-term narrowing of a coronary artery (eg, due to atherosclerosis ) limits blood flow through that artery. This limited blood flow causes chest pain when people apply force on their own.
Some causes of chest pain are immediately life-threatening, but are less common, except for a heart attack or unstable angina:
heart attack or unstable angina
A type of collapse of the lungs in which the pressure builds up enough to block blood flow back to the heart ( tension pneumothorax )
rupture of the esophagus
There are many other causes, ranging from serious and potential threats to simply inconvenient disabilities.
Assessment of chest pain
The following information can help people decide when an evaluation is needed and know what to expect during the evaluation.
warning signs
In people with chest pain or chest discomfort, certain symptoms and characteristics are cause for concern. These include:
- squeezing or squeezing pain
- shortness of breath
- perspiration
- nausea or vomiting
- Pain in your back, neck, jaw, upper abdomen, or one of your shoulders or arms
- Mild dizziness or fainting
- Feeling of a fast or irregular heartbeat
- If you need to see a doctor
- Although not all causes of chest pain are serious, some causes are life-threatening, so the following people should see a doctor right away:
If you need to see a doctor
Although not all causes of chest pain are serious, some causes are life-threatening, so the following people should see a doctor right away:
Patients with warning signs
A person suspected of having a heart attack (for example, if symptoms resemble those of a previous heart attack)
These people should call emergency services (911) or go to the emergency room as soon as possible. These people should not try to drive to the hospital by themselves.
Chest pain that lasts for several seconds (less than 30 seconds) is often not caused by a heart disorder. People with very brief chest pain need to see a doctor, but do not need emergency services.
People who have had chest pain for a long time (more than a week) should see a doctor as an outpatient as soon as possible and see a doctor right away if they show warning signs or if the pain gets steadily worse or occurs more often.
Doctors first ask about the person's symptoms and medical history, and then do a physical examination. What doctors find through the history and physical examination often suggests the cause of chest pain and the necessary tests
However, the symptoms of dangerous and non-risky chest disorders overlap and vary considerably. For example, a typical heart attack causes heavy, crushing pain, but some people who have a heart attack have only mild chest discomfort, indigestion, or pain in the arm or shoulder (pain- associated pain is What is it? ). On the other hand, people with indigestion may simply have an upset stomach, and those with shoulder pain may only have muscle pain. Similarly, while people with musculoskeletal chest wall pain may have tenderness when touched, the chest may also be tender in people who have a heart attack. Therefore, doctors usually do several tests on people who have chest pain.
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