What causes chest pain?

Chest pain is not a trivial matter in general consciousness. In daily life, if you suddenly feel chest pain for no reason, we must pay great attention to it. Most people think that chest pain must be related to the heart, but this is not always the case. Chest pain is a symptom of some heart diseases, but it does not mean that chest pain is definitely caused by heart disease. Certain other diseases in our body may manifest as symptoms of chest pain.

Common causes of chest pain include:

(1) Diseases of the lung, pleura, and mediastinum. The pain is characterized by a relatively localized location, but can be transmitted along the nerves to the shoulder or upper abdomen. The pain may worsen with deep breathing or changing body position, and may be accompanied by symptoms such as coughing, sputum, and difficulty breathing. X-ray examination is helpful for diagnosis.

(2) Diseases of the cardiovascular system. The most common are angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction. The pain is characterized by a history of heart disease in most patients. The pain is mostly localized behind the sternum and in front of the heart, and can also be seen in the upper abdomen and back, reflecting to the left shoulder. The pain is aggravated by fatigue or emotional excitement.

(3) Chest wall disease. The pain characteristics of this type of disease are that the pain is limited to the local lesion, with obvious tenderness, no radiation, and the nature of the pain is non-specific.

(4) Other diseases. In some cases, diseases in other parts of the body may also manifest as chest pain. For example, reflux esophagitis in the digestive system can cause pain in the center of the chest and radiate to the shoulders and back. Acute pancreatitis, gastric ulcer perforation, etc. can also cause chest pain. In diseases such as diaphragmatic pleurisy, subphrenic abscess, diaphragmatic hernia, liver cancer, hepatitis, etc., chest pain may also occur due to stimulation of the sensory fibers of the phrenic nerve or compression of the mediastinum, so care must be taken to differentiate.

The key to treating acute chest pain is to find out the cause and treat it. If there are other obvious accompanying symptoms, do not treat them by yourself. It is best to go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible to avoid delaying treatment.