Chest pain causes fear and discomfort for most people. As it is common knowledge that chest pain occurs during a heart attack, it is mainly associated with that symptomatology. Although on average men are more likely to have heart attacks, women are equally concerned when chest pain occurs.
In women, an important gender difference comes into play, which extends the possible causes of the pain that occurs – the female breast (mamma). Breast pain in women can therefore be caused by diseases of the organs in the ribcage and by diseases of the mamma. When looking for the cause, attention should also be paid to possible diseases of the abdominal organs, as these can sometimes project the pain into the ribcage.
Muscular tension or damage as well as diseases of the bony skeleton should also be taken into account. What should a woman with chest pain or pulling in the chest do? If a breast pain is noticed by the affected person, she should be aware of its quality.
Both the intensity and the time of occurrence and duration can provide information about the cause. The spectrum ranges from “light pressing” to pain of destruction, which is rated on a scale of 10 out of 10. These signs should be assessed objectively so that a visit to the doctor or even to the emergency room can be weighed up.
If this decision can no longer be made because of the pain, a doctor should be consulted immediately. What should a woman with chest pain or pulling in the breast do? If a breast pain is noticed by the person affected, she should be aware of the quality of it.
Both the intensity and the time of occurrence and duration can provide information about the cause. The spectrum ranges from “light pressing” to pain of destruction, which is rated on a scale of 10 out of 10. These signs should be assessed objectively so that a visit to the doctor or even to the emergency room can be weighed up. If this decision can no longer be made because of the pain, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
Causes
There are several organs in the thorax that can cause chest pain in case of malfunction or illness. The heart is known to cause extremely severe chest pain in the event of an infarction (occlusion with subsequent loss of blood supply to the area supplied) of the coronary arteries, which radiates into the left arm. What very few people know is that a myocardial infarction (myocardium = heart muscle) only occurs in a certain percentage of patients.
In women, the symptoms often look completely different and are therefore generally detected later than in men with a classic clinical picture. Sudden severe abdominal pain, for example, can not only indicate a problem of the digestive system, but also indicate a myocardial infarction. Until a heart attack occurs, damage to the vessels has usually developed over years.
This is known as coronary heart disease (CHD) and can cause so-called angina pectoris in an advanced stage. Angina pectoris is an additional clinical picture which is accompanied by dull attacks of pain in the chest. These are caused by the same mechanisms as in myocardial infarction – by the reduced blood flow (ischemia) of the heart muscle tissue.
Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and the surrounding pericardium (pericarditis) can also lead to chest pain. Aortic aneurysm is not a disease of the heart per se, but a disease of the laxative vessels of the heart. This is when the various layers of the vessel wall become detached from each other and blood burrows a cavity between them.
Aortic aneurysms can be very dangerous and, if they tear, can lead to the patient bleeding to death in a few moments. If pain occurs during the course of the disease, an advanced stage has already been reached in which intervention is absolutely necessary. Another organ in the thorax which can cause local pain is the lung with the trachea.
Infections play the greatest role here. When the various parts of the respiratory system become inflamed, coughing is often accompanied by thoracic pain. This can be more or less severe depending on the pathogen.
Inflammations caused by viruses are usually accompanied by milder symptoms, while bacterial infections often cause severe symptoms. In addition to an inflammation of the lungs, the pleura can also be affected by an infection. In the case of inflammatory changes, patients report pain with every breath movement.
If it becomes severe, this can lead to a pneumothorax. The lung tears a little and the pleural gap, i.e. the space between the lung and the chest, fills with air. The lung is no longer held in shape by the negative pressure that actually prevails in the pleural gap and collapses.
It becomes significantly smaller and patients report severe pain on the affected side of the chest as well as shortness of breath. Furthermore, a pulmonary embolism can lead to chest pain and shortness of breath. A blood clot (thrombus) has broken off somewhere in the body (but usually in the right atrium) and moves to the lungs.
There, depending on its size, it blocks essential blood vessels. The corresponding lung or the parts of the lung that have been cut off can no longer contribute to the absorption of oxygen. Cancer can also lead to pain in the lungs and thus to chest pain.
In most cases, bronchial carcinoma causes pain to develop, whereas lung metastases rarely lead to such pain. Through the oesophagus, an organ of the digestive system also exists in the chest. In the case of simple disorders such as heartburn, there may be pulling or burning pain in the chest.
The increase of this is a manifested reflux disease. Patients have heartburn all the time and the risk of developing esophageal cancer increases significantly. If this malignant tumour develops, it can also lead to chest pain, depending on its size and location. An inflammation of the oesophagus can also lead to chest pain.
All articles in this series: