Diagnosis | Pain on the chest

Diagnosis

For a diagnosis, the doctor first asks for details about the pain: Possible clues to the cause may be In an anamnesis interview, the doctor also asks about accompanying complaints, previous illnesses, eating habits and possible family illnesses. Diagnostic tools such as X-rays or echocardiography can also be used to detect or rule out lung or heart disease. You can read about how such an anamnesis interview could be conducted in our article Anamnesis.

• Quality (pungent, throbbing, dull, burning, punctual, diffuse, etc. ),
• Localization,
• Strength
• Duration of the pain

Therapy

Basically, the aim is to treat chest pain at its source, i.e. to remove the trigger rather than the pain itself. The reflux disease of the esophagus can be fought by the administration of drugs that inhibit the excessive production of stomach acid, other drugs bind already formed stomach acid. A change in dietary habits (especially a low-fat diet) often helps as well.

Do you often suffer from gastrointestinal problems? You can read about how to eat optimally in the case of digestive problems in our article Nutrition for digestive disorders. Problems with the musculature usually disappear on their own, warmth and rest help.

In severe cases, physiotherapy can help.While milder inflammations such as bronchitis often heal on their own, pneumonia usually has to be treated with antibiotics to kill the pathogens. Painkillers are usually necessary for rib fractures, as they cannot be splinted or plastered. Angina pectoris (tightness in the chest) is treated with nitroglycerine in the form of spray or bite capsules, which dilates the arteries within minutes and relieves the tightness. In the event of an acute heart attack, the aim is to reopen the blocked heart arteries as quickly as possible, either with the help of medication or in an operation through balloon dilatation.

Duration

Usually, chest pain has banal causes and disappears after a short time. However, if they persist for a longer period of time, a doctor should be consulted in order to detect or rule out possible serious illnesses. A visit to a doctor is also recommended in the case of recurrent pain in the same area.