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Chest Problems
About this symptom
Chest pain and heart attack
Chest discomfort or pain may be a key warning symptom of a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms may include:
- Chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in the chest.
- Sweating.
- Shortness of breath.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Pain, pressure, or a
strange feeling in the back, neck, jaw, or upper belly, or in one or both
shoulders or arms
. - Lightheadedness or sudden weakness.
- A fast or irregular heartbeat.
If you have any of these symptoms of a heart attack,
call
Chest discomfort or pain that comes on or gets worse with
exercise, stress, or eating a large meal and goes away with rest may be a
warning symptom of heart disease. If you are having this type of discomfort or
pain now and you are not being treated for
angina, call
Other causes of chest discomfort or pain
Most people fear that chest pain always means something is wrong with the heart. This is not the case. Chest discomfort or pain, especially in people who are younger than age 40, can have many causes.
- Pain in the muscles or bones of the chest often occurs when you increase your activities or add exercise to your schedule. This is sometimes called chest wall pain.
- Burning chest pain that occurs when you cough may be caused by an upper respiratory infection caused by a virus.
- Burning chest or rib pain, especially just before a rash appears, may be caused by shingles.
- An injury, such as a broken rib can be quite painful, especially when you cough or try to take a deep breath.
- A swelling (inflammation) of the thin layers of tissue (pleura) covering the lungs and the chest wall. This is called pleurisy.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause pain just below the breastbone. Many people will say they have "heartburn." This pain is usually relieved by taking an antacid or eating.
Other, more serious problems that can cause chest pain include:
- A collapsed lung (pneumothorax), which usually causes a sharp, stabbing chest pain and occurs with shortness of breath.
- A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism), which usually causes deep chest pain with the rapid development of extreme shortness of breath.
- Lung cancer, which may cause chest pain, especially if the cancer cells spread to involve the ribs.
- Diseases of the spine, which can cause chest pain if the nerves in the spine are "pinched."
Use the Check Your Symptoms section to decide if and when you should see a doctor.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 14, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine David Messenger, MD | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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