Chest Pain
Chest pain is a pain or discomfort that can occur in any area of the chest and might spread to other areas of the upper body, including down to the arms or into the neck or jaws. Chest pain can be sharp or faint and one might feel tightness and heart ache.
Typically, the pain in the chest can last for a few minutes to hours and can sometimes occur for six months or longer. It typically worsens upon labour or any type of exertion and improves upon rest. The pain can be limited to a specific area or may be larger and can be in the left side, middle or right side of the chest.
Medical attention is required for chest pain in case of a heart attack or any life-threatening situation.
Chest pain does not always relate to the heart and may have origins that are not related to the heart. Tightness in chest may be due to the pain in chest.
Causes of Chest Pain
Let's discuss chest pain causes. What causes chest pain in a woman and a man? There are many chest pain reasons. Chest pain has many possible causes, and it needs medical care as soon as possible.
1. Heart-related Causes
- Angina: This is chest pain due to poor blood flow to the heart and is often caused by plaque buildup on the inner walls of arteries that transport blood to the heart. This condition is especially restrictive of blood flow during strenuous activities.
- Heart attack: Blocked blood flow to the heart muscle can result in blood clots causing the condition. This disease can be fatal sometimes and requires urgent treatment.
- Aortic dissection: This often fatal condition involves the main artery of the heart called the aorta, where the blood vessels separate and blood is forced between layers, causing the aorta to rupture.
- Pericarditis: This condition is caused by the Inflammation of the sac around the heart and becomes worse when breathing in or lying down.
2. Digestive Causes
Chest pain can be caused by a digestive system, which includes:
- Heartburn: A painful, often burning sensation felt behind the breastbone and occurs when the oesophagus is washed up with stomach acid.
- Swallowing disorders: Swallowing can be difficult and quite painful
- Gallbladder or pancreas problems: Inflammation of the gallbladder or pancreas can sometimes cause stomach pain that spreads to the chest area.
3. Muscle and Bone Causes
Some types of chest pain are connected with injuries and other problems affecting the structures that make the chest wall, and the conditions include:
- Costochondritis: The condition involves the Inflammation of the cartilage of the rib cage and can be excruciating.
- Sore muscles: Broken or bruised rib can often cause chest pain.
- Injured ribs: Ribs that are injured can cause pain and discomfort.
4. Lung-related Causes
Many lung problems can lead to chest pain:
- Pulmonary embolism: A blood clot in the lung artery can block blood flow and is a dangerous condition that needs to be treated early.
- Pleurisy: The condition is due to Inflammation of the lung’s outer membrane and can get worse when breathing in or coughing.
- Collapsed lungs: Occurs when the space between the lung and the ribs is filled with air due to leaks, and the pain can last for a long time.
- Pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in lung arteries that carry blood to the lung can cause chest pain and discomfort.
5. Other Causes
- Panic or anxiety attack: An intense fear with chest pain is termed panic or anxiety attack and can cause symptoms such as rapid heartbeat and breathing with profuse sweating and shortness of breath that comes with it. It can be hard to differentiate between a heart attack and a panic attack
- Shingles: Intense pain and a plethora of blisters from the back to the chest area.
Symptoms of Chest Pain
Let's discuss chest pain symptoms. What does chest pain feel like?
- Pressure in the chest
- Feeling of being crushed and squeezed
- Tearing
- Feeling of fullness
- Tiredness
- Shortness of breath
- Discomfort in other body parts
- Sickness
- Profuse sweating
- Lightheadedness
Treatment of Chest Pain
- Medications such as Nitroglycerin and medications that open partially closed arteries, clot-busting drugs and blood thinners.
- Cardiac catheterization, which includes balloons or stents to open blocked arteries.
- Surgical repair of arteries, termed coronary artery bypass grafting or bypass surgery.
Other treatments include:
- Lung reinflation for collapsed lungs
- Antacids for acid reflux and heartburn
- Anti-anxiety medications
Conclusion
Chest pains can be caused by multiple conditions, which may include acid reflux, anxiety attacks and asthma. But the condition can also be due to life-threatening conditions, and it is important to get it checked, especially if the condition is persistent and can potentially save one’s life. The chest bone pain and chest pain are not the same.
The chest pain types include Heart attack, Coronary artery disease, Coronary artery dissection and Pericarditis. Pain in middle of chest may occur due to many reasons like Heart-related issues, muscle strains, etc. There are many left chest pain causes. The left chest pain could occur because of many reasons like muscle injuries, heart problems, lung issues, or digestive issues.
There are many right side chest pain reasons. Right chest pain causes include injuries, acid reflux, muscle strains, lung problems such as pneumonia, or more serious conditions such as pulmonary embolism or pericarditis. The chest muscles issues may cause Chest pain. Female chest pain causes include heart-related problems, lung issues, gastrointestinal problems, musculoskeletal issues, and psychological factors such as anxiety or panic attacks.
Sharp pain right side of chest woman could be because of various causes, like muscle strains, gastrointestinal issues, rib injuries, lung issues, or even, though less common, heart-related problems, and should be evaluated by a doctor. Chest muscle pain could manifest as sharp or dull pain worsening with movement or breathing. In general, chest tightness could be a symptom of different conditions like heart problems, lung issues, etc.
FAQ
1. What can cause chest pain in women?
It can be caused by acid reflux, oesophagal spasms, and issues such as asthma or COPD, musculoskeletal pain, and stress. Unfortunately, it is hard to differentiate between the different conditions and to know if it is a benign condition or a heart attack.
