Pain in the chest which may be caused by heart disease.
Any pressure, squeezing, or general discomfort in the chest. Depending on its cause, chest pain can be mild or severe, dull or sharp, long-lasting or temporary, or frequent or occasional. It may occur randomly or only in association with certain activities, such as during exercise or immediately after a meal. Chest pain is not a condition in itself but a symptom of an underlying cause that can be serious, such as heart attack, or trivial, such as indigestion or a strained muscle.
Discomfort felt in the upper abdomen, thorax, neck, or shoulders. Chest pain is one of the most common potentially serious complaints offered by patients in emergency departments, hospitals, outpatient settings, and physicians’ offices. A broad array of diseases and conditions may cause it, including (but not limited to) angina pectoris or myocardial infarction; anxiety and hyperventilation; aortic dissection; costochondritis or injured ribs; cough, pneumonia, pleurisy, pneumothorax, or pulmonary emboli; esophageal diseases, such as reflux or esophagitis; gastritis, duodenitis, or peptic ulcer; and stones in the biliary tree.
Chest pain, although frequently benign, can occasionally indicate an underlying condition that necessitates immediate medical attention. This pain might originate from various sources, such as the chest wall encompassing the skin, underlying muscles, or ribs, as well as from organs residing within the chest cavity.
Typical sources of chest wall pain encompass strained muscles or injuries like fractured ribs. If a sharp pain originates from the back of the chest and extends around to the front, it may result from nerve root compression at the point where it exits the spine. Conditions like osteoarthritis of the vertebrae can lead to nerve compression. Pleurodynia, characterized by inflammation of the muscles between the ribs and the diaphragm muscle, often due to a viral infection, can cause chest pain on the side. Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, a viral infection, can induce intense pain along a nerve’s pathway in the chest wall. Tietze’s syndrome, characterized by inflammation at the junctions of rib cartilages, can cause pain on the front of the chest wall.
Acid reflux, characterized by the regurgitation of stomach acid into the esophagus, is a frequent cause of chest pain. This condition often leads to heartburn, a painful sensation located behind the sternum (breastbone). More severe underlying causes of chest pain include respiratory disorders like pleurisy, which involves inflammation of the membranes surrounding the lungs and lining the inside of the chest wall. Pneumonia, an infection-induced inflammation of the lungs, or, in rare cases, pulmonary embolism, a blood clot obstructing a lung artery, can lead to pleurisy. Additionally, as cancerous lung tumors grow and exert pressure on the pleura and ribs, they may cause pain in the chest.
Chest pain localized in the center can be attributed to cardiac disorders. One common condition, angina pectoris, manifests as pain that may radiate from the chest to the throat, jaw, or arms. It arises from insufficient blood supply to the heart, often due to coronary artery disease. Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, produces a similar pain to angina but tends to be more severe and does not alleviate with rest. Acute pericarditis, characterized by inflammation of the membrane enveloping the heart, induces intense pain that may slightly diminish when the affected individual leans forward. Sharp pain, primarily on the left side of the chest, can be caused by mitral valve prolapse.
Chest pain can also arise as a consequence of anxiety and emotional stress.
The management of chest discomfort varies depending on the root cause. For instance, antibiotics might be prescribed to alleviate chest pain stemming from pneumonia, while certain cases of lung tumors or coronary artery disease necessitate surgical intervention.