ternative Names
Chest tightness; Chest pressure; Chest discomfort
Considerations
Many people with chest pain fear a heart attack. However, there are many possible causes of chest pain. Some causes are not dangerous to your health, while other causes are serious and even life-threatening.
Any organ or tissue in your chest can be the source of pain, including your heart, lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, tendons, or nerves. Pain may also spread to the chest from the neck, abdomen, and back.
Common Causes
Heart problems that can cause chest pain:
* Angina or a heart attack is pain ...view middle of the document...
* Swelling (inflammation) in the sac that surrounds the heart (pericarditis) causes pain in the center part of the chest.
Lung problems that can cause chest pain:
* A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
* Collapse of athe lung (pneumothorax)
* Inflammation of the lining around the lung (pleurisy) can cause chest pain that usually feels sharp, and often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
* Pneumonia causes a sharp chest pain that often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
Other causes of chest pain:
* Panic attack, which often occurs with fast breathing
* Inflammation where the ribs join the breast bone or sternum (costochondritis)
* Shingles, which causes sharp, tingling pain on one side that stretches from the chest to the back, and may cause a rash
* Strain or inflammation of the muscles and tendons between the ribs
Chest pain can also be due to the following digestive system problems:
* Spasms or narrowing of the esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach)
* Gallstones cause pain that gets worse after a meal (most often a fatty meal)
* Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
* Stomach ulcer or gastritis (burning pain occurs if your stomach is empty and feels better when you eat food)
In children, most chest pain is not caused by the heart.
