General information
The word chest pain means chest pain and can have several causes. Every organ in the upper body (thorax) can be diseased in principle and thus be the cause of the pain. For example, the pain can be caused by:
- The heart,
- The lungs,
- The esophagus or also the spine
Organs located further down in the abdominal cavity can also be the cause of chest pain, and vice versa, for example, a deep-seated pneumonia can cause back pain.
So thorax pain can be a sign of a serious illness or it can mean nothing. Because of the many possible causes, it is sometimes difficult to determine where the pain comes from. Therefore, a very thorough anamnesis is important, because often there are certain clues depending on the organ, such as the exact location of the pain or the time when the pain appears.
For example, heart disease usually not only causes pain in the middle of the chest, but in the case of a heart attack, for example, it often radiates into the left arm or even into the back. If the thorax pain is respiratory, for example: and burning behind the sternum.
- The lung or
- Also to the ribs or
- The sternum (often described by sufferers as a heart sting when inhaled)
- Myocardial infarction and angina pectoris: The pain in myocardial infarction and angina pectoris is usually located behind the sternum and manifests itself mainly as a feeling of pressure.
They often radiate into the back, left arm, upper abdomen or even towards the neck. Depending on the type of angina pectoris, the pain is load-dependent and can be easily treated with a nitro spray. However, the pain of a heart attack does not go away so quickly.
Nausea and vomiting may also be present during a heart attack. If these symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately. Sometimes, however, a heart attack can only make itself felt by a feeling of pressure or a pulling in the left breast.
Sometimes it is not noticed at all, this is called a “silent heart attack“.
- Pericarditis: The pain is often sharp and worsens when lying on the left side. Since germs are responsible for pericarditis, the patient often complains of flu-like symptoms such as fever and malaise
- Aortic dissection: Aortic dissection is a splitting of the wall layers of the aorta (aorta of the body) and can initially be very asymptomatic. In aortic dissection, the different layers separate and blood enters between them. The blood entering the aorta can cause severe back pain, chest pain or even pain in the leg area.
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