What are the causes of chest pain?
- Heart attack
- Heart problems
- Gastrointestinal conditions
- Lung diseases
- Muscle, bone, and tissue problems
Often, people associate chest pain with heart-related diseases. While this is possible, there are many other possible causes of chest pain. It can stem from conditions and complications from other parts of your body — like your lungs, muscles, or bones, for example. To add to that, some of these can be serious and life-threatening, while others are not. Because of this reason, if you’ve been experiencing unexplained chest pain, it’s important to seek urgent medical help. Only a doctor can confirm its cause.
To give you an idea, here’s a list of the different possible causes of chest pain. Continue reading to learn more.
Heart Attack
Chest pain is one of the warning signs of an impending heart attack. Some are sudden and intense, and some start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. It can also go away for a few minutes and return.
Some other signs of a heart attack include:
- Shortness of breath
- Sudden nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
- Weakness
- Numbness or other discomforts in the arms, back, neck, jaw, and stomach
If you or anyone around you is experiencing one or more of the signs above, rush to the emergency room immediately.
Heart Problems
Heart-related chest pain can occur with other symptoms. It could also affect the jaw, back, neck, shoulders, and arms. Intensity can vary, and it could go away just to come back a few minutes after. There is also shortness of breath, cold sweats, and dizziness.
Here are the different heart conditions that cause chest pain:
- Coronary Artery Disease - a condition wherein there is obstruction in the heart’s blood vessels. This results in angina — a discomfort caused when your heart lacks in oxygen-rich blood.
- Myocarditis - a heart muscle inflammation condition. In addition to chest pain, myocarditis can also cause fever, fatigue, and trouble breathing.
- Pediacarditis - an inflammation of the sac around the heart. It causes pain similar to angina but is more sharp and steady along the shoulder and upper back.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a genetic condition where in the heart muscle grows abnormally thick. Pain in the chest with this condition often occur during exercise. Along with chest pain, it also causes dizziness and fainting.
Gastrointestinal Conditions
Isa din sa mga common na sintomas ng maraming gastrointestinal conditions ay ang chest pain.
Karaniwan na tinatawag itong heartburn kung ikaw ay nakakaranas ng acid reflux. Mas madalas itong maramdaman pagkatapos kumain ng marami, lalo na ng mga maasim at maanghang na pagkain. Maaaring kasama nito ang maasim na panlasa at bloating.
Maliban sa heartburn, may mga problema din sa gallbladder at pancreas ang maaaring mag cause ng pain na umaabot sa dibdib. Ilan sa mga ito ay nagmumula sa pagkakaroon ng gallstones. Ito ay maaaring humantong sa cholecystitis, maipit sa bile ducts sa condition na choledocholithiasis, pagmulan ng cancer o maging pancreatitis.
Lung Diseases
Chest pain can also signal a problem with the lungs. When the lining of the lungs becomes inflamed, it can feel painful to cough, sneeze, or even breathe. This condition is called pleuritis, which can be caused by infection. This symptom can also be present in pulmonary embolism, where a blood clot wedges itself in the lungs.
Other than that, chest pain is also a common symptom of pneumonia, in addition to causing chills, cough, and fever. If you recently suffered from a lung condition, your lungs may collapse, leading to a condition called pneumothorax.
Chest pain may also happen due to certain lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis.
Muscle, Bone, And Tissue Problems
Maliban sa problema sa puso, digestive system, at baga, ang chest pain ay maaari din maging sintomas ng mga condition sa muscle, bone, at tissues. Isa na dito ang costochondritis, kung saan maaaring mamaga ang tissue na nagdidikit sa ribs at breastbone. Dahil dito, makakaranas ka ng mga sintomas na kahalintulad nang sa heart attack.
Maaari ka din makaramdam ng pananakit ng dibdib kung nagtamo ng injury ang iyong ribs. Mas lalo itong sumasakit kapag humihinga at umuubo, at iisang area lamang ang apektado. Posible din mangyari ang kabaliktaran, dahil ang labis na pagubo ay kayang magsanhi ng muscle strain sa chest.
Key Takeaway
The causes of your chest pain are not something you can diagnose by yourself. There are a lot of possibilities for why it could happen, and only a medical professional can help you find out the root of your current condition. Immediately call emergency services when you feel this symptom.
Aside from physical exams, your doctor might also recommend laboratory tests to rule out the presence of disease. After that, he will suggest a treatment that may need medication.
For affordable and high quality over-the-counter and prescription medicine, you can head to the nearest The Generics Pharmacy branch.