Is this chest pain serious?
Many people who experience chest pain may fear a heart attack. Chest pain is one of the most common reasons people call for emergency help.
Although a heart attack is an extremely serious cause of chest pain, there are many other possible reasons for it. In many cases, it may have nothing to do with your heart. Today I’d like to discuss the symptoms and signs that may be related to heart problems, and also talk about other possible explanations for chest pain or discomfort.
In general, chest pain due to a heart problem is associated with the following symptoms:
● Pressure, fullness or tightness in the middle or just below your chest.
● Crushing or searing pain that radiates to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders and arms, especially to your left side
● Pain that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back or that varies in intensity
● Shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness or nausea
● Recent chest pain that is increasing in intensity, frequency, or duration, or occurs not only on mild exercise but also when resting
These symptoms may be closely related to heart problems like unstable angina or myocardial infarction, which may be serious.
These symptoms warrant immediate medical attention and you may need to call for emergency help.
Sometimes, chest discomfort may be due to other causes, and may originate from your digestive tract, muscles and bones in your chest, nerves, or from psychological factors. Since the esophagus and stomach lies just underneath and below the heart, acid reflux resulting in esophagitis, peptic ulcers, and other digestive discomfort could cause chest discomfort.
This is especially so if your symptoms worsen depending on body position or high consumption of fatty food, alcohol, nicotine, or chocolate. You could even be able to feel a sour taste re-entering your mouth.
If you have tenderness when you push on your chest, the pain could be from the musculoskeletal system. Inflammation of the muscles and joints could be the reason, and anti-inflammatory medication could help reduce the pain.
Psychological factors can also cause chest pain such as may be a panic disorder or rapid breathing caused by anxiety.
These can be controlled by anti-anxiety medication.
As mentioned above, chest pain due to cardiac causes may warrant prompt medical attention, but sometimes may be unrelated to any problem in the heart. Even if it has nothing to do with your cardiovascular system, any discomfort in the chest area is important to be evaluated in a hospital to elucidate the exact cause.
Dr. Park Kyung-woo is an interventional cardiologist and the deputy director of the International Healthcare Center of Seoul National University Hospital.
Ref: The Korea Times 2010-08-29 News
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/08/147_72178.html