Chest pain is a common cause that requires medical attention. Its roots can be diverse. What signs should alert you? What diseases occur after this injury? Search for chest pain quickly.
In France, sudden chest pain is the third most common cause of emergency room visits, after discomfort and abdominal pain.
Doctors also call it chest pain, which has many causes and can vary in severity. A medical opinion is important: doctors need to make the correct diagnosis through a medical examination and possibly medical imaging.
What are the symptoms of chest pain?
Pain can occur anywhere in the chest, starting from the upper body and ribs to the shoulders. Chest pain can be:
Widespread or localized;
different usage and duration;
only on one side;
radiates to the back and arms;
occurs during exercise or during meals;
be severe and sudden;
latent and long-term.
Thoughts also have many aspects:
abdominal pain;
burning;
stabbing pain;
feeling of suffocation, feeling of limitation…
Chest pain can be accompanied by other symptoms: nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, sweating, heartburn, stomach pain, anxiety, etc.
These symptoms are important for doctors to determine the cause of chest pain. Therefore, it is important to describe the location and severity of the pain as accurately as possible. Because the doctor needs to quickly choose how to measure based on the symptoms described.
Chest pain and pain: How to understand if it is a muscle disease or a heart disease?
Chest pain can have many causes:
Source: left side pain, breastbone pain, chest tightness…
Heart disease can cause chest pain. Here are the key takeaways.
Myocardial infarction (or heart attack): The myocardium is the muscle of the heart. It is the water that comes from the coronary arteries and provides oxygen to the heart. When the arteries are blocked, much of the heart muscle dies. Symptoms: Chest pain, left jaw and jaw that can last for several hours, a feeling of heaviness in the ribs, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, etc. Women should be warned if they experience symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, shortness of breath during exercise or at rest, extreme fatigue, indigestion and nausea.
Pulmonary embolism: Sudden blockage of a branch of the pulmonary artery or a pulmonary artery. Symptoms: Sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, rapid heartbeat.
Angina pectoris: Myocardial hypoxia is associated with inadequate coronary blood flow.
Symptoms: Squeezing, pressure, heaviness or pain in the chest, especially behind the breastbone. This pain often radiates to the neck, jaw, arms, back, and even the teeth. Sometimes, this pain is accompanied by indigestion, fever, weakness, sweating, nausea, cramps, or shortness of breath.
Valvular heart disease: Congenital or acquired abnormalities of the heart valves. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness or shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, palpitations, weakness or fatigue, and swelling in the feet, ankles, and abdomen.
Pericarditis: Infection of the pericardium (the tissue surrounding the heart). Symptoms: The pain usually lasts for a long time, from a few hours to a few days. It increases with breathing, coughing and lying on the back, and decreases with sitting forward and breathing out. In addition, shortness of breath, fever, sometimes hiccups, vomiting and dry cough are also observed.
Myocarditis: Inflammation of the myocardium, which can be infectious or degenerative in origin.
Aortic dissection: A tear in the aortic wall. If you have had a heart attack and need urgent medical attention, please call 15 or 112.
Intercostal or vertex pain: Why do I have pain in my chest?
broken rib;
fracture;
Cartilage pain;
muscle pain;
Intercostal neuralgia (osteoarthritis of the spine);
Shingles.
Pulmonary: Pain in the chest or lungs when I cough
Chest pain is most common in respiratory infections:
Pneumothorax: Pneumothorax is air between the chest wall and the lung. Symptoms: severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, cough
Pleurisy,
inflammation of the lungs;
inflammation of the lungs;
asthma. digestive system
Gastrointestinal infections sometimes cause chest pain:
gastroesophageal reflux;
abdominal colic;
acute cholecystitis;
appendicitis;
peptic ulcer;
gallstones;
pancreatic disease.
Sometimes chest pain can have a psychological origin during stress or in people with depression. In addition, certain diseases such as sarcoidosis or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause chest pain.
When should you call 15?
Some chest pains are treated quickly. This is what happens when severe pain squeezes the chest. This pain lasts more than 5 minutes and does not stop even at rest. The pain radiates to the jaw, arms, back, neck and abdomen. Shortness of breath, pale face, sweating, nausea, anxiety, dizziness and even fainting. Irregular heartbeat. These symptoms should be called 15, but this does not mean that these symptoms alone are real when the patient is the victim of a heart attack (such as diabetes).
Chest Pain: Diagnosis
Any chest pain, especially sudden and severe chest pain, should lead you to see a doctor. The following information is important in determining the cause of chest pain:
the reality of the pain;
Pain Behavior: Is the pain confined to a single area or does it spread to other parts of the body?
Pain characteristics: burning, shortness of breath, stinging;
duration or frequency of the pain;
When does the pain occur: when something moves or when moving?
Can body position, breathing, or diet affect the pain?
It is important to identify other symptoms to confirm a diagnosis. Medical history, past medical conditions, and risk factors (such as heart disease) are other important factors that help make a diagnosis.
The doctor then uses a stethoscope to listen to the heart and lungs, then measures the heart rate and blood pressure. Other chest tests include an electrocardiogram (ECG), a blood test (measures troponin), and a chest X-ray.
Depending on the suspected cause of the chest pain, certain tests may be needed to confirm a diagnosis:
If heart disease is suspected: cardiac catheterization (coronary angiography) or an ultrasound of the heart and blood vessels (echocardiography);
If pneumonia is suspected: X-rays, CT scan of the lungs;
If gastrointestinal disease is suspected: gastroscopy. Treatment: How to relieve chest pain?
If chest pain occurs, treatment depends on the cause. Compliance is very important.
Here are some examples of conditions that can cause chest pain and how to treat them.
Angina pectoris
Angina attacks can be treated with nitroglycerin spray or tablets and other specific treatments depending on the diagnosis and cause of the angina. Myocardial infarction
In the event of a myocardial infarction, it is important to restore blood flow to the heart muscle as quickly as possible, but the most important thing is to widen the blocked arteries (angioplasty: balloon expansion and stent placement).
Gastroesophageal Reflux or GERD
If gastroesophageal reflux occurs, your doctor may prescribe medication to reduce or increase stomach acid. These include proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole, or antacids.
Pleurisy
If pleurisy occurs, antibiotics should be administered to eliminate the infection.