Chest Pain

Chest Pain

Any pain in your chest is considered chest pain. It might extend to your arms, neck, or jaw, among other places. It frequently has to do with the heart.

However, issues with your lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, or nerves, for instance, can also result in chest pain.

Some of these ailments are severe and potentially fatal—the only method to determine unexplained chest pain is to have a doctor examine you.  

Symptoms of Chest Pain

Depending on what is causing the condition, chest pain can generate a variety of symptoms. Although it's difficult to know without consulting a doctor, the cause is frequently unrelated to the heart.

Heart-related chest pain symptoms:

• Cold sweats

• Dizziness or weakness

• Nausea or vomiting

• Pressure, fullness, burning, or tightness in your chest

• Pain that spreads to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders, and arms

• Pain that gets worse with activity or varies in intensity

• Shortness of breath

Other types of chest pain symptoms

• A sensation of food re-entering your mouth

• Pain that persists for many hours

• Pain when you breathe deeply or cough

• Trouble swallowing

• enderness when applying pressure on your chest

• Worsening pain when you change your body position 

Causes of Chest Pain

Heart Problems

• Heart attack

• Myocarditis

• Angina

• Aortic aneurysm and dissection

• Coronary artery dissection

• Pericarditis

• Mitral valve prolapse

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Lung Problems

• Pulmonary hypertension

• Pleurisy

• Pneumonia

• Pulmonary embolism

• COVID-19

• Tuberculosis

• Asthma

• Collapsed lung

Gastrointestinal and Digestive Problems

• Pancreatitis

• Esophageal spasms

• Esophageal hypersensitivity

• Esophageal rupture

• Peptic ulcers

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Other Causes

• Panic attack

• Hiatal hernia

• Costochondritis

• Muscle strain

• Injured ribs

Diagnosis of Chest Pain

To identify or rule out heart-related issues as the source of your chest pain, your doctor may prescribe testing. These may consist of the following:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

• Blood tests

• Chest

• X-ray

• Echocardiogram

• MRI

• Stress tests

• Angiogram

Measures to Take for Chest Pain

By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can lower your heart, vascular, and other associated risks. The tests  comprises:

• A healthy diet

• Exercising most days of the week

• Limiting alcohol consumption

• Managing your high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Not using tobacco products

Many illnesses can cause chest discomfort, even though most people associate it with a heart attack.

Recognize the warning signs of a heart attack and get help as soon as you feel discomfort. Tell your healthcare practitioner what you did when you experienced chest pain, and make a mental note of it.

Your provider may be able to diagnose you better if you can describe the type of pain you're experiencing and where it is.