Causes of chest pain

Chest pain can occur due to various diseases; it is sometimes difficult even for a doctor to understand it right away, so patients with such complaints usually undergo additional examination. Chest pain can manifest as diseases of the heart, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, spine, mediastinum, and central nervous system. All human internal organs are innervated by the autonomic nervous system, the trunks of which arise from the spinal cord. When approaching the chest, the nerve trunk gives off branches to individual organs. That is why sometimes pain in the stomach can be felt like pain in the heart - they are simply transmitted to the common trunk, and from it to another organ. Moreover, the spinal nerve roots contain sensory nerves that innervate the musculoskeletal system. The fibers of these nerves are intertwined with the fibers of the nerves of the autonomic nervous system, and therefore a completely healthy heart can respond with pain in various diseases of the spine.

Finally, chest pain may depend on the state of the central nervous system: with constant stress and high neuropsychic stress, a malfunction occurs in its functioning - neurosis, which can also manifest itself as pain in the chest.

Some chest pains are unpleasant, but not life-threatening, but there are chest pains that need to be relieved immediately - a person’s life depends on it. In order to figure out how dangerous chest pain is, you need to see a doctor. Perhaps this will save your life or calm you down if no serious problems with your health are found.

Heartburn. Acidic stomach acid that flows from the stomach into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) can cause heartburn, a painful burning sensation in the chest. It is often combined with a sour taste and belching. Heartburn chest pain is usually associated with food intake and can last for hours. This symptom most often occurs when bending or lying down. Taking antacids relieves heartburn.
Panic attacks. If you experience attacks of unreasonable fear, combined with chest pain, rapid heartbeat, hyperventilation (rapid breathing) and profuse sweating, you may be suffering from “panic attacks” - a unique form of dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
Pleurisy. Sharp, localized chest pain that gets worse when you inhale or cough may be a sign of pleurisy. The pain occurs due to inflammation of the membrane lining the inside of the chest cavity and covering the lungs. Pleurisy can occur with various diseases, but most often with pneumonia.
Tietze syndrome. Under certain conditions, the cartilaginous parts of the ribs, especially the cartilage that attaches to the sternum, can become inflamed. Pain in this disease can occur suddenly and be quite intense, simulating an attack of angina. However, the location of pain may vary. With Tietze syndrome, pain may increase when pressure is placed on the sternum or ribs near the sternum. Pain during angina pectoris and myocardial infarction does not depend on this.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine leads to so-called vertebrogenic cardialgia, which resembles angina pectoris. In this condition, there is intense and prolonged pain behind the sternum, in the left half of the chest. There may be irradiation into the arms and interscapular area. The pain increases or decreases with changes in body position, head turns, and arm movements. The diagnosis can be confirmed by performing an MRI of the spine. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine will help determine the cause of pain in the chest if it is caused by pinched nerve roots or the presence of herniated intervertebral discs.

Pulmonary embolism. This type of embolism occurs when a blood clot enters the pulmonary artery, blocking the flow of blood to the heart. Symptoms of this life-threatening condition may include sudden, sharp chest pain that occurs or gets worse with deep breathing or coughing. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, palpitations, anxiety, loss of consciousness.
Other lung diseases. Pneumothorax (collapsed lung), high pressure in the blood vessels supplying the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), and severe asthma may also cause chest pain.
Muscle diseases. Pain caused by muscle diseases usually begins to bother you when you turn your body or raise your arms. Chronic pain syndrome such as fibromyalgia. May cause persistent chest pain.
Damage to ribs and pinched nerves. Bruises and fractures of the ribs, as well as pinched nerve roots, can cause pain, sometimes very severe. With intercostal neuralgia, pain is localized along the intercostal spaces and intensifies with palpation.
Diseases of the esophagus. Some diseases of the esophagus can cause difficulty swallowing and therefore chest discomfort. Esophageal spasm can cause chest pain. In patients with this disease, the muscles that normally move food down the esophagus work uncoordinated. Since esophageal spasm can resolve after taking nitroglycerin - just like angina - diagnostic errors often occur. Another swallowing disorder known as achalasia can also cause chest pain. In this case, the valve in the lower third of the esophagus does not open as it should and does not allow food to pass into the stomach. It remains in the esophagus, causing discomfort, pain and heartburn.
Shingles. This infection, caused by the herpes virus and affecting the nerve endings, can cause severe chest pain. The pain can be localized in the left half of the chest or be of a girdling nature. This disease can leave behind a complication - postherpetic neuralgia - the cause of prolonged pain and increased skin sensitivity.
Diseases of the gallbladder and pancreas. Gallstones or inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) and pancreas (pancreatitis) can cause pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the heart.
Myocardial infarction - a blood clot that blocks the movement of blood in the arteries of the heart can cause pressing, squeezing chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes. The pain can radiate to the back, neck, lower jaw, shoulders and arms (especially the left). Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, cold sweats, and nausea.
Angina pectoris. Over the years, fatty plaques can form in the arteries of your heart, limiting the flow of blood to the heart muscle, especially during exercise. It is the restriction of blood flow through the arteries of the heart that causes attacks of chest pain - angina. Angina is often described by people as a feeling of tightness or tightness in the chest. It usually occurs during physical activity or stress. The pain usually lasts about a minute and goes away with rest.
Other causes of chest pain include inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericarditis), most often due to a viral infection. Pain with pericarditis is most often acute, stabbing in nature. Fever and malaise may also occur. Less commonly, the pain may be caused by a dissection of the aorta, the main artery in your body. The inner layer of this artery can separate under blood pressure and the result is sharp, sudden and severe pain in the chest. Aortic dissection can be the result of chest trauma or a complication of uncontrolled hypertension.

Because chest pain can have many different causes, do not self-diagnose, self-medicate, or ignore severe or prolonged pain. The cause of your pain may not be so serious - but in order to establish it, you need to contact a specialist.

Mastitis

The inflammatory process in breast tissue is a common complication of lactostasis. Patients complain of pain in the left upper chest or other area. The pathological process is provoked by pathogenic bacteria that enter the breast tissue. Most often, the causative agent is a staphylococcal infection.

Mastitis can develop not only during breastfeeding. Often the pathological process manifests itself if the patient has a chronic infection in the body. So, even a simple carious tooth can lead to the development of inflammation. In this case, the pathogenic microflora enters the breast tissue through the hematogenous route (through the bloodstream).

Based on the nature of the inflammatory process, serous and purulent mastitis are distinguished. The latter variant of the disease is manifested by more intense pain, fever, a feeling of fullness, and symptoms of general intoxication of the body. A specialist can easily determine the source of inflammation by palpation. Additionally, an ultrasound examination of breast tissue may be prescribed.

At the first symptoms of mastitis, you should consult a specialist. The disease can quickly progress and develop into a purulent form. In this case, the development of the inflammatory process can only be stopped through surgery. At an early stage, therapy is carried out conservatively using antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Physiotherapeutic procedures help relieve swelling and pain.

Chest pain caused by changes in the central nervous system

Chest pain can also occur with other diseases. One of the most common diseases that causes frequent and prolonged pain in the chest is cardioneurosis, which develops against the background of a temporary functional disorder of the central nervous system. Neuroses are the body’s response to various mental shocks (intense, short-term or less intense, but long-lasting).

Pain due to cardioneurosis can have a different character, but most often it is constant, aching and is felt in the area of the apex of the heart (in the lower part of the left half of the chest). Sometimes pain due to cardioneurosis may resemble pain due to angina pectoris (short-term acute), but taking nitroglycerin does not relieve it. Often attacks of pain are accompanied by reactions from the autonomic nervous system in the form of facial flushing, moderate heartbeat, and a slight increase in blood pressure. With cardioneurosis, other signs of neuroses are almost always present - increased anxiety, irritable weakness, etc. Helps with cardioneurosis are the elimination of traumatic circumstances, the correct daily routine, sedatives, and for sleep disorders - sleeping pills.

Sometimes cardioneurosis is difficult to distinguish from coronary heart disease (CHD); the diagnosis is usually made based on careful observation of the patient, since there may be no changes on the ECG in either case.

A similar picture can be caused by changes in the heart during menopause. These disorders are caused by changes in hormonal levels, resulting in neurosis and metabolic disorders in the heart muscle (menopausal myocardiopathy). Pain in the heart is combined with the characteristic manifestations of menopause: flushing of the face, bouts of sweating, chills and various sensory disturbances in the form of “goosebumps”, insensitivity of certain areas of the skin, etc. Just as with cardioneurosis, heart pain is not relieved by nitroglycerin; sedatives and hormone replacement therapy help.

Chest pain due to diseases of the spine and ribs

Chest pain, very similar to heart pain, can occur with various diseases of the spine, for example, with osteochondrosis, herniated discs, ankylosing spondylitis, etc. Osteochondrosis is dystrophic (metabolic) changes in the spine. As a result of poor nutrition or high physical activity, bone and cartilage tissue, as well as special elastic pads between individual vertebrae (intervertebral discs), are gradually destroyed. Such changes cause compression of the spinal nerve roots, which causes pain. If changes occur in the thoracic spine, the pain may be similar to pain in the heart or pain in the gastrointestinal tract. The pain can be constant or in the form of attacks, but it always intensifies with sudden movements. Such pain cannot be relieved with nitroglycerin or antispasmodics; it can only be relieved by painkillers or heat. Pain in the chest area can occur when a rib is fractured. These pains are associated with injury and intensify with deep breathing and movement.

Chest pain due to lung diseases

The lungs occupy a significant part of the chest. Chest pain can occur against the background of inflammatory diseases of the lungs, pleura, bronchi and trachea, with various injuries to the lungs and pleura, tumors and other diseases.

Chest pain occurs especially often when there is a disease of the pleura (the serous sac that covers the lungs and consists of two layers, between which the pleural cavity is located). With inflammation of the pleura, pain is usually associated with coughing, deep breathing and accompanied by fever. Sometimes such pain can be confused with heart pain, for example, with pain due to pericarditis. Very severe chest pain occurs when lung cancer grows in the pleural area.

In some cases, air (pneumothorax) or fluid (hydrothorax) enters the pleural cavity. This can happen with a lung abscess, pulmonary tuberculosis, etc. With spontaneous (spontaneous) pneumothorax, sharp sudden pain appears, shortness of breath, cyanosis, and blood pressure decreases. The patient has difficulty breathing and moving. The air irritates the pleura, causing severe stabbing pain in the chest (in the side, on the affected side), radiating to the neck, upper limb, and sometimes to the upper abdomen. The patient's chest volume increases and the intercostal spaces widen. Help for such a patient can only be provided in a hospital.

Mammary cancer

If there is pain in the upper chest and a lump is felt, this may indicate the development of cancer. The faster a tumor is detected, the higher the likelihood of a positive outcome of the disease. Statistics show that millions of women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. The mortality rate from this pathology reaches 50%. Today, breast cancer is divided into 30 different forms.

Most often, the pathological process develops in women over 35 years of age. In representatives of the stronger sex, this type of cancer is very rare. The risk of developing a breast tumor increases if the fairer sex has a history of other gynecological diseases (lactation disorders, infertility, hormonal imbalances). Genetic dependence also matters. If the mother suffered from breast cancer, the daughter’s risk of encountering such a pathology increases.

Reviews from experts show that if a woman seeks help in a timely manner, she has a greater chance of survival. If pain appears in the chest and arms, or a lump in the mammary gland is detected, you should not self-medicate. The sooner the tumor is surgically removed, the lower the likelihood of dangerous complications.