Chest pain, or thoracic pain, is a symptom that is common in everyday medical practice. Chest pain can be a sign of dangerous diseases, which should be immediately examined by a doctor. In most cases, organs such as the heart, lungs, esophagus, or musculoskeletal system are responsible for chest pain.
What is chest pain?
Patients experience chest pain in the different facets, it is described as dull, burning, pulling or secreting discomfort. Chest pain is also described in medicine as thoracic pain because the pain occurs in the thorax (chest), regardless of whether the pain originates in the chest area or radiates into the thorax. Patients experience chest pain in a variety of facets; it is described as dull, burning, pulling, or secreting discomfort. Intensity ranges from mild to agony-inducing pain. The character of the pain provides clues to the cause of the pain. Dangerous diseases can occur with chest pain, mostly the lungs, the heart, the skeletal as well as the muscular system are affected. Partially, chest pain occurs under certain circumstances, it is dependent on breathing, occurs during stress or in a certain posture.
Causes
Chest pain can originate from diseases of any organ located in the body. The most significant are the diseases of the heart. If pain occurs here, it can be assumed that there is a disturbance in the “blood flow”. There are blood vessels in the chest that pump blood from the heart to the lungs. If there is a constriction of the vessel walls here, congestion occurs and the vein becomes clogged, resulting in a pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately, this is often fatal. If the heart muscle is no longer supplied with enough oxygen-rich blood, an angina pectoris attack occurs. This term comes from the Latin and means “tightness in the chest”. The symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack. Such an angina pectoris attack can occur during exertion, or when one gets very excited. Severe chest pain also occurs when one has “air in the chest”. This usually occurs when there is an external influence. The air is then no longer in the pulmonary vesicles or the airways, but between the pleura and the lung tissue. In pneumonia, there is also severe pain in the chest area. Chest pain in women usually depends on the menstrual cycle. A feeling of tightness or a slight pulling or pressure is a normal sign that you are about to menstruate. After the onset of menstruation, the pain or uncomfortable feeling will go away on its own. However, if the pain occurs independently of the normal hormonal fluctuations, due to the monthly period, it is advisable to see a doctor to investigate the cause. Breast pain can have many causes. Sometimes stress or psychological strain also play a major role. The hormone balance gets out of control. Breast pain in women can also have a completely different cause – an inappropriate brassiere. Over fifty percent of all women wear the wrong bra size, according to an analysis by a women’s magazine. Breast pain can be an upset stomach, after eating too fatty food. But maybe it’s esophagitis, sore muscles, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) or something else comparatively harmless.
Diseases with this symptom
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart muscle inflammation
- Rib fracture
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Arteriosclerosis
- Pneumonia
- Pneumothorax
- Mitral valve prolapse syndrome
- Pericarditis
- Tietze syndrome
- Lung cancer
- Angina pectoris
- Mediastinitis
- Aortic dissection
- Rib contusion
- Roemheld syndrome
- Chest inflammation
- Pleurisy
Complications
Chest pain makes most sufferers immediately think of a heart attack. Doctors, on the other hand, assume that chest pain has other causes, unless the patient belongs to a designated risk group for heart attack. If a heart attack or another serious cause in the heart muscle is actually the reason for the chest pain, it may be detected too late if the doctor first clarifies harmless causes of the pain.The more accurately the patient can describe the nature of the chest pain and other observations, the less likely it is that the physician will make an incorrect diagnosis and thereby fail to notice serious complications in time. However, because chest pain is so readily associated with serious conditions such as heart attack, it is just as likely that the patient himself feels so much anxiety that he overestimates the intensity of the chest pain. For example, they are a typical symptom of approaching panic attacks, whereby the patient no longer attributes the chest pain to the panic attack at that moment, unless he or she has learned to do so in psychological treatment. Other mental illnesses can also manifest themselves through chest pain, but the patient initially views it as a purely physical problem with a potentially serious cause. This can, of course, increase the anxiety and nervousness that is already present, leading to very unpleasant exacerbations of chest pain.
When should you go to the doctor?
Not all chest pain is dangerous and associated with a life-threatening condition. However, prolonged as well as recurring chest pain should be clarified by a doctor in any case. People who suffer more frequently from chest pain, for example as part of a reflux disease or with known angina pectoris, should also consult a doctor if the intensity, location or character of the chest pain changes. If additional symptoms occur, such as a general feeling of illness, lightheadedness or fever, a physician should be consulted. In the event of sudden onset of severe chest pain, call an emergency physician immediately, as a heart attack or pulmonary embolism (blockage of a pulmonary vessel) may be present and every minute is vital. Absolute warning signs in case of chest pain are nausea and vomiting, weakness, a feeling of pressure and anxiety, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, blue colored lips, radiating pain in the left chest as well as bloody cough and pain when breathing. In the event of unconsciousness and failure to breathe, cardiac massage with ventilation (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) must also be performed on the affected person until the arrival of the emergency physician. In general, the following applies to chest pain: better one visit to the doctor too much than one too late.
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Treatment and therapy
As a rule, chest pain should be examined by a doctor, because not infrequently more dangerous diseases are associated. Especially in case of severe pain, a doctor should be consulted immediately in any case. If the pain is not so severe, but persists for 2-3 days, the primordial cause of the pain should also be clarified.
Outlook and prognosis
If the disease is a benign change in the mammary glands, such as changes in the connective tissue, inflammation or benign tumors, they are not life-threatening and a cure is completely possible in almost all cases. Only very rarely do changes in the mammary glands increase the risk of cancer. In the case of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, coronary heart disease or a heart attack, the outlook is very different. Heart failure is not curable. However, if the patient leads a suitable lifestyle, i.e. if the prescribed medication is taken regularly, a worsening of the condition can be avoided. Every necessary check-up with the family doctor should be taken. Coronary heart disease always has a very positive prognosis if the bottleneck is removed surgically and the prescribed medication is taken regularly. The prognosis for pneumonia depends on the pathogen that caused it, the age of the patient, and how well the patient’s immune system is functioning. The type of therapy and how the patient responds to it is also crucial. Relief from chest pain caused by problems in the musculoskeletal system, is achieved by treating the source of the pain. This means that if the trigger for chest pain is, say, a spinal misalignment, then a prognosis for freedom from chest pain is positive if spinal therapy is successful.
Home remedies and herbs for chest pain
- Fennel tea helps with breast ailments. For chest inflammation, make poultices with fennel leaves boiled in milk.
What you can do yourself
Chest pain can be the result of countless diseases. Therefore, self-help is only recommended to a limited extent. Shortness of breath accompanied by chest pain may indicate a heart attack and other heart diseases. To rule these out as causes, a thorough examination by an internist should always be performed. Often the pain arises as a result of tension or scars from previous injuries, i.e. it is muscular in origin. Targeted stretching exercises can bring relief. Incorrect postures in which the chest is squeezed unconsciously lead to pain. This is where physiotherapy can help. Physiotherapy exercises can and should be continued at home. Breath-related pain is just as often the result of poor posture and can be remedied with gentle body therapy, massage and conscious sitting and standing. Chest pain after exercise indicates excessive training. In this case, the workload must be reduced. Pain at the level of the sternum can also be attributed to improper diet, which produces acid regurgitation (reflux). The burning sensation can be easily remedied by an alkaline diet with plenty of vegetables. Mental stress also often leads to a contraction of the chest and abdominal muscles. Then diffuse chest pains arise, which are aggravated by anxiety. Here it is necessary to eliminate the causes of stress. Relaxation exercises, autogenic training, light endurance sports, sufficient sleep and a healthy diet contribute to an improvement and increase the quality of life.