Chest pain is a common reason to see a doctor. Its history may vary. What signs should alert you? What diseases can cause this disease?
Take a quick look at chest pain.
In France, sudden chest pain is the third most common cause of emergency visits, after fatigue and abdominal pain.
Doctors also call it chest pain, which has many causes and can vary in severity. A medical opinion is important: the doctor must make a correct diagnosis through a medical examination and possibly with the help of medical imaging technology.
What are the symptoms of chest pain? The pain can start in the upper part of the rib cage and occur anywhere from the ribs to the shoulder blades.
Chest pain can be:
diffuse or localized;
Varying in intensity and duration;
Only one side;
Radiating to the back and arms;
Coming during exercise or eating;
Sharp, sudden;
Stealthy and ongoing.
There are many ways to think of it:
abdominal pain;
burning;
Sudden stabbing pain;
Shortness of breath, feeling of tightness…
Chest pain can be accompanied by other symptoms: nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, sweating, heartburn, stomach pain, anxiety, and more.
These symptoms are important clues that your doctor can use to help determine the cause of your chest pain. Therefore, it is important to describe the location and nature of the pain as accurately as possible. Because the doctor needs to decide quickly what to do based on the symptoms described.
Chest pain and diseases: How do you know if it is muscle or heart disease?
There are many causes of chest pain:
Heart diseases: Pain on the left side, pain in the rib cage, tension in the ribs…
Heart diseases can cause chest pain.
This is important.
Myocardial infarction (or heart attack): The myocardium is the heart muscle. It is supplied with oxygen by the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with oxygen. When the arteries are blocked, more or less of the muscle tissue dies. Symptoms: Persistent chest pain, such as a feeling of heaviness in the ribs, that can last from a few minutes to a few hours. You may also feel pain in your arm or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, etc. It should be noted that women should be careful if they have complaints such as tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, palpitations, shortness of breath during exercise and sometimes at rest, excessive fatigue, indigestion and nausea.
Pulmonary embolism: Blockage of a branch of the pulmonary artery or the pulmonary artery itself. Symptoms: Sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing and rapid heartbeat.
Angina pectoris: Myocardial hypoxia is associated with insufficient coronary blood flow. Symptoms: Squeezing, pressure, heaviness or pain in the chest, especially behind the breastbone. This pain often extends to the neck, jaw, arms, back, and even the teeth. Sometimes this pain may be accompanied by indigestion, heartburn, weakness, sweating, nausea, cramps, or shortness of breath.
Heart disease: Abnormalities of the heart valves that are present at birth or develop later in life. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, chest or chest pain, palpitations, weakness or fatigue, and swelling in the feet, ankles, or abdomen.
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium (the sac surrounding the heart). Symptoms: The pain usually lasts a long time, from a few hours to a few days. It increases when breathing, coughing and lying on the back, and decreases when sitting forward and breathing out. In addition, shortness of breath, fever, sometimes hiccups, vomiting and dry cough may also occur.
Myocarditis: Inflammation of the myocardium, which can be infectious or degenerative in origin.
Aortic dissection: A tear in the aortic wall. In cases of heart attacks requiring urgent medical attention, please call 15 or 112.
Intercostal or parietal pain: Why does my chest hurt?
Ribs;
Injury;
Pain in the rib cage;
Muscle pain
Intercostal neuralgia (spinal osteoarthritis);
Shingles.
Lung causes: Pain in the chest or lungs when you cough
Chest pain is most common in respiratory infections:
Pneumothorax: Pneumothorax is air between the chest wall and the lung. Symptoms: Severe chest pain, shortness of breath, respiratory failure, cough
Pleurisy,
lung inflammation;
lung inflammation;
asthma. Digestive products
Digestive system diseases sometimes cause chest pain:
Gastroesophageal reflux;
Liver colic;
Acute cholecystitis;
Appendicitis;
Peptic ulcer;
Gallstones;
Pancreatic disease.
Sometimes, chest pain that occurs during stress or depression can also be psychological in origin. Other diseases such as sarcoidosis or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can also cause chest pain.
When should you call 15?
Some chest pains are medical emergencies. This is a sudden onset of severe pain that squeezes the chest. This pain lasts longer than 5 minutes and does not go away with rest. The pain radiates to the jaw, arms, back, neck, and stomach. It is accompanied by symptoms such as difficulty breathing, paleness, sweating, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, and even fainting. Irregular heartbeat. These symptoms should be linked to 15, but in fact these symptoms do not occur on their own, for example when a patient has a heart attack, or when they have diabetes.
Chest Pain: Diagnosis
You should definitely see a doctor for chest pain, especially if it occurs suddenly and is severe. The following information is important in determining the cause of chest pain:
The exact location of the pain;
Behavior of the pain: Is the pain limited to one area or does it radiate to other parts of the body?
Characteristics of the pain: burning, throbbing, shooting pain;
Duration or frequency of the pain;
The circumstances in which the pain occurs: does it occur during certain movements or at rest?
Do posture, breathing or diet affect the pain?
To clarify the diagnosis, it is also important to analyze other symptoms. History, previous and possible diseases Risk factors, such as cardiovascular disease, are other important elements in advancing a diagnosis.
The doctor then feels the heart and lungs with his stethoscope, then takes the pulse and measures the blood pressure. Other standard tests for chest pain include electrocardiogram (ECG), blood tests (measures troponin) and chest X-ray.
Depending on the suspected cause of chest pain, several tests may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis:
If Suspected cardiovascular disease: cardiac catheterization (coronography), or ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography) and blood vessels;
If lung disease is suspected: an x-ray, a CT scan of the lungs;
If gastrointestinal disorders are suspected: gastroscopy.
Treatments: how to relieve chest pain?
In case of chest pain, the treatment depends on the cause of the pain. It is essential to ensure proper treatment.
Here are some examples of diseases that can cause Chest pain and its treatments.
Angina pectoris
An attack of angina can be treated with nitroglycerin administered as a spray or tablet, and other specific treatments depending on the diagnosis and the 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 soon as possible with medications, but especially widening of the blocked coronary artery (angioplasty: dilation of balloons and placement of a stent). stent).
Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD
In the case of gastroesophageal reflux disease, the doctor prescribes medication to reduce or neutralize stomach acid. This includes proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole or antacids.
Pleuris
In case of pleurisy, antibiotic treatment is necessary to eliminate the pathogens.