What Causes Chest Pain ?

Chest pain has many causes. It can be caused by musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal pain, or heart disease. These pains present in various ways.

Is Heart Attack the Only Cause of Chest Pain ?

People are often very afraid of left-sided chest pain. Pain can be related to the chest wall, but it can also be related to the nerves in that area. Additionally, pain can be related to the heart itself or the pericardium. Pain can also originate from the gastrointestinal system.  Not every chest pain indicates a heart attack.  Heart attacks and heart pain present very differently.

What Does Left Chest Pain Mean Besides Heart Attack ?

Pain on the left side can have many meanings. It can stem from all the causes we've just mentioned. In women, left-sided chest pain can be caused by breast tissue pain, muscle pain, pain caused by nerve compression, and musculoskeletal disorders. Sometimes, it's also due to a cold. Therefore, left-sided chest pain doesn't necessarily mean a heart attack.

Pain related to pericarditis is most often felt during movement, meaning it's felt when bending forward or rubbing. This condition and its associated pain are more common in young men. Lying on the back also increases the intensity of the pain.

Another common type of pain is psychological chest pain caused by panic. The pain in the chest area is short-lived and can begin in the chest and spread throughout the body.

How Are the Causes of Chest Pain Diagnosed?

Sometimes, heart-related chest pain can present atypically. It may present as stomach pain rather than pain caused by blocked arteries. The patient points to the stomach area. If the artery feeding the lower part of the heart is blocked, symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and low blood pressure can occur. If this type of pain occurs, it's essential to consult a pulmonologist.

Sometimes a heart attack can be silent, manifesting as shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations, and weakness.

An ECG , cardiac enzymes, chest X-ray, echocardiography, and exercise stress test may be performed. Angiography, the gold standard, may be performed if necessary.

Not all patients experience the same typical chest symptoms. In some cases, pain may only be felt in the neck, jaw, ear, arm, or stomach. Other symptoms such as difficulty breathing and fatigue may also be observed.

Recognizing chest pain (angina) for the first time can be difficult, as the symptoms can often mimic other illnesses. Indigestion and mood disturbances may also occur. Other patients may experience no pain but only difficulty breathing, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and sweating.

Chest pain symptoms often include;

• The pain is often described as a burning, pressure-like sensation in the chest. It may radiate to the neck, shoulders, jaw, back, upper abdomen, arms, or fingers.
• Palpitation,
• Sweating,
• Nausea,
• Difficulty breathing caused by exercise may subside within 3-5 minutes with pain or rest.
• Decreased effort tolerance (decreased effort)
• Symptoms such as weakness, difficulty breathing, and nausea are more common in diabetics and elderly patients.

It is more common in women under 50 and smokers.

Chest pain due to vascular spasm (variant angina) is a clinical condition characterized by chest pain occurring in the absence of other clinical factors and ECG findings. It typically occurs in women under 50, most commonly in the early morning hours, immediately after awakening.

It occurs at rest. Typically, it presents with chest pain. Smoking plays a role in triggering this condition. It is thought to be caused by temporary spasm in the coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. If you want to quit smoking but are unable to, you can consult our smoking cessation clinic.

Groups at risk of silent chest diseases:

• Diabetes (diabetics)
• Elderly patients
• Heart transplant patients

Ankara Magnet Hospital's Chest Diseases Unit offers diagnosis and treatment for all lung and respiratory diseases with its expert team of physicians. Pulmonary function tests  are performed to detect respiratory distress originating from the lungs.