Chest Pain
Chest pain refers to any type of sensation in the center of your chest that may feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or burning. Chest pain may be acute or chronic, ranging from a sharp stab to a dull ache. It is the second leading cause of hospital visits every year, accumulating more than eight million emergency room (ER) visits in the United States.
There are various causes of chest pain, including cardiovascular disease, infections, respiratory conditions, and other common ailments. The most serious causes of chest pain will typically involve your heart or lungs.
Signs and Symptoms of Chest Pain
Although there are numerous causes, heart disease is one of the prominent conditions associated with chest pain. However, the symptoms associated with heart disease may feel like a range of sensations:
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Burning or pressure in the chest area
- Crushing pain that radiates to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders, and arms
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain that worsens with activity
If you experience any form of new or unexplained chest pain, seek emergency medical care immediately.
Causes of Chest Pain
Chest pain can occur due to a wide range of conditions, from problems in the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems to gastrointestinal issues.
Heart-Related Causes
Chest pain may be caused by coronary artery disease, which happens when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become clogged with cholesterol and calcium deposits or clots. Other related or more acute and emergent conditions that may cause chest pain include aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, pericarditis, endocarditis, and a heart attack.
Digestive Causes
Chest pain may develop as a result of gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD), which are diseases of the stomach. One example of GERD is heartburn, which is a common condition that occurs when stomach acid flows back in the direction of your esophagus due to weakened lower esophageal muscles. Heartburn can cause chest pain or discomfort, along with bloating, belching, and nausea. Other gastrointestinal problems that may cause chest pain include gastric ulcers or pancreatitis.
Muscle and Bone Causes
Chest pain may result from various conditions that affect the chest wall, including costochondritis, a condition that causes inflammation in the cartilage where ribs attach to your breastbone. Chest muscle strain, sprain injuries, and injured ribs may also cause chest pain and are common among athletes who participate in contact sports like football.
Lung-Related Causes
Chest pain may be caused by infections of the lungs, including bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. The most common infection of the lung is bronchitis due to seasonal viruses or bacterial infections, while pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, which causes fluid and pus to accumulate in lung tissue. Another lung disease that is caused by bacteria is tuberculosis, which usually begins in the lungs but can affect other parts of the body, such as the bones and kidneys. A collapsed lung can also instigate chest pain when air leaks into the space between the lung and the ribs, causing intense pain and shortness of breath.
Chest Pain Treatment
The treatment options for chest pain depends on the cause. If your chest pain is caused by coronary artery disease, you will need to take prescription medications to help dissolve the clot and lower your cholesterol levels. Other treatments may include administering nitrates, which dilate blood vessels so that there is less pressure on the heart muscle. For more serious conditions like a heart attack, an urgent percutaneous intervention to restore blood flow may be needed.
If your chest pain is caused by an infection, you may be given antibiotics or other therapies to treat the infection.
Treatment for medical conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and GERD may include lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, dietary changes, and weight loss, while other conditions may require surgical intervention or device implantation.
