Pain in the chest can be caused by various causes. This can be a minor injury or a serious illness. Determining on your own what caused it is quite problematic, therefore, in case of severe or repeated pain, it is better to go to a doctor right away.
Chest pain: common causes
Among the causes of this symptom are the following diseases of systems and organs:
- respiratory system;
- the cardiovascular system and circulatory system organs;
- digestive organs;
- musculoskeletal system;
- disruption of the nervous system;
- injuries of the chest and abdominal cavity, including cracks in the ribs, stretching of the intercostal muscles and the like;
- muscular diseases or injuries;
- complications after suffering flu or ARVI.
If the pain in the chest is not justified, you need to be examined for the presence of certain injuries or diseases. In the event of acute pain or not passing for 15 minutes or more, an urgent need to call a doctor.
What else may be the causes of chest pain
Due to the large number of diseases and causes of chest pain, it has a different nature and can be felt in different directions and even in the middle. In general, the same causes lead to pain in either side of the chest.
Heart disease can be given in any part, since the heart, in fact, is in the middle. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and of the stomach in particular, have a greater effect on the left side, since most organs are located closer to the left side.
Damage to the respiratory system can also cause pain in any part of the chest. Injuries, bruises and fractures are local in nature, the pain depends on the damaged place, therefore, it is possible to single out an area only in each specific case.
Myositis and neuralgia, as well as nervous diseases, give pain in the entire chest.
Pain in the middle of the chest can be a symptom:
- pathological disorders in the structure of the cardiovascular system;
- thyroid disease;
- many heart diseases;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- diseases of the lungs, bronchi or respiratory tract, such as bronchitis and tuberculosis;
- indigestion or heartburn;
- somatic dysfunction of the nervous system;
- myositis of the rib muscles.
Pain in the left and right side of the chest can be caused by the same causes as the pain in the middle.
Below is a list and some of the symptoms of common diseases that cause pain in a particular section of the chest.
Cardiovascular diseases such as:
- atherosclerosis - the deposition of cholesterol in the vessels, which leads to ischemic heart disease; with damage to the heart muscle, there is a sharp pain on the left;
- severe pain on the left side is felt during myocardial infarction;
- pericarditis - inflammation of the connective membrane of the heart; a characteristic sign is a spasm on the left, which increases with inspiration and in the supine position, and decreases when bending forward;
- angina - oxygen starvation caused by strong physical exertion, characterized by pain on the left side and heart palpitations;
- myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle, the pain is permanent and does not change under the influence of physical exertion;
- cardiomyopathy - a disease of athletes, caused by a thickening of the heart muscle due to constant heavy loads; for this disease characteristic pain of the left side of the chest;
- arterial hypertension - high blood pressure sometimes causes severe heart pain;
- mitral valve prolapse - the disease causes a characteristic pain in the left side of the heart;
Lesions of the respiratory system:
- pleurisy - inflammation of the lining of the lung, in the absence of fluid in the pleural sinus leads to severe pain on the left side of the chest;
- tuberculosis - at some stages the chest begins to hurt, the pain increases with coughing; against the background of this disease, pneumothorax may also occur, in which air accumulates in the middle of the pleural cavity, causing severe right pain;
- lobar pneumonia is characterized by cutting pains, aggravated by coughing and inhaling;
Diseases and malfunctions of the digestive system and abdominal organs:
- gastritis and gastric ulcer;
- acute processes in the liver and dysfunction of the gallbladder;
- food stagnation and heartburn;
- chronic cholecystitis, which leads to inflammation, as well as disruption of the outflow of bile, which, in turn, causes acute pain on the right;
- hepatitis - with the development of this disease there are cramps in the right hypochondrium, which is associated with the location of the liver;
- cholelithiasis - is characterized by the formation of cholesterol and salts in the bile ducts of stasis, the pain is unbearable and cutting, occurs in the right side.
Also reasons may be:
- Diseases of the nervous system caused by severe stress can cause chest cramps.
- Mechanical damage to the ribs, connective tissue, muscle sprains, bruises, myositis, and neuralgia also lead to chest pain, which can be both permanent and periodic in nature, aggravated by inspiration, physical exertion, and movement. Also, chest pains occur in diseases of the spine, such as osteochondrosis and others.
- Oncology of internal organs, as well as mastopathy.
The nature of the pain in the chest
By the nature of the pain are very different, which directly depends on the reason they are caused. In inflammatory processes and heart disease, the pain is severe and sudden, it requires close attention and prompt medical attention.
Diseases of the liver and gallbladder give a sharp pain in the form of a spasm.
Muscle injuries and rib injuries are characterized by acute pain on inspiration and movement. Diseases of the spine and muscles are characterized by pressing and pulling pain, aggravated in certain positions of the body, during physical exertion and deep breathing.
What you can do yourself, and when you need to immediately call an ambulance
If the pain in the chest is periodic, and the patient is aware of the causes, then you should drink the medicine. For patients with heart disease in such cases helps nitroglycerin.
For those who do not know what it is connected with, you need to measure the heartbeat and blood pressure. If these figures are higher than normal, you should consult a doctor.
If you experience pain in the chest, you can not self-medicate. This can be a symptom of a serious illness that must be treated.
All diseases that cause pain, can lead with the strongest effect, so you need to immediately be examined.
If the pain is acute and does not go away with a change of position, presses and increases or does not go away in a period of about a quarter of an hour or more, you should immediately call the doctor at home so that he can carry out a primary diagnosis, give a medicine or hospitalize a patient
How can a doctor help
By the nature of the pain and part of the chest, where the patient feels it, the doctor finds out the cause and the disease that caused it. If it is a heart attack, cholelithiasis or acute cholecystitis, the patient is immediately hospitalized and provided with medical care.
If the nature of the pain is not acute and it is not possible to immediately identify its causes, the doctor will carry out diagnostic procedures and, if necessary, prescribe an x-ray or ultrasound scan to detect inflammation or damage to internal organs.
After diagnosing and identifying the cause of pain, inpatient treatment is prescribed, or medicines necessary for the elimination of the disease are prescribed. Seeing a doctor for pain in the chest is very important, since only a physician can accurately state the cause and prescribe the necessary medicines.
Most of the above-mentioned diseases are treatable, after which the pain in the chest disappears. In cases of muscle diseases, physiotherapy and massage are prescribed, which eliminate both the disease and the symptom. Diseases of internal organs require medical treatment. All necessary procedures and treatment are prescribed only by a doctor.
Prevention of heart attack and angina
A heart attack is very dangerous and often leads to death, as well as serious consequences. To prevent this, you should warn this state. Attentive to your condition is to treat people with any cardiovascular diseases, especially with angina pectoris and ischemic heart disease.
To avoid a heart attack, you should follow all the instructions of the doctor, as well as take all necessary medications. Observing the regimen and dosage of taking the same aspirin, which is prescribed to all patients with angina to thin the blood, you can get rid of many heart problems.
Heart disease is characteristic of people with a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high cholesterol, chronic smokers, and diabetics. Also at risk are constantly experiencing stress and tension. To avoid the formation of blood clots and heart attack, you need to closely monitor your diet and lifestyle.
And more information about pain in the chest - in the next video.
