Pain under left rib cage when breathing

Pain under the left ribs when breathing is a problem that troubles many people. This problem is either caused by chronic pancreatitis, costochondritis and intercostal neuritis. No matter which disease causes it, it will greatly affect a person's physical and mental health. If it is not treated in time, it will cause great pain and even affect a person's normal life!

1. Chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is persistent and permanent damage to pancreatic tissue and function due to various factors. The pancreas shows varying degrees of acinar atrophy, pancreatic duct deformation, fibrosis and calcification, and varying degrees of pancreatic exocrine and endocrine dysfunction, resulting in corresponding clinical symptoms. Its incidence is low, but clinical diagnosis is somewhat difficult.

2. Costochondritis

Also known as Tieze's disease or Tieze syndrome, painful non-suppurative swelling of the costal cartilage, sternal cartilage pain, and chondrodysplasia, it is a common disease, which is divided into nonspecific costochondritis and infectious costochondritis. The most common clinical disease is nonspecific costochondritis, which accounts for more than 95% of outpatient visits. It is a nonspecific, non-suppurative inflammation of the costal cartilage. It is a non-suppurative costochondritis lesion that occurs at the junction of the costal cartilage and the sternum for unknown reasons. It manifests as a self-limited disease with localized pain and swelling. It is more common in adults aged 25 to 35 years old, mostly women, with a male to female ratio of 1:9. Elderly people also get sick. It often occurs at the junction of the 2nd to 5th costal cartilages. It is usually multiple and can be seen beside one side of the sternum, or symmetrical on both sides. In single cases, the 2nd costal cartilage is common. Infectious costochondritis, also known as suppurative costochondritis, is a rare surgical infection.

3. Intercostal neuritis

Intercostal neuritis is a painful lump and tenderness over the costal cartilages. Also known as Tietze's disease. It is more common in people aged 20 to 40 years old, often at the junction of the 2nd or 3rd costal cartilage and the sternum, and occasionally at other ribs or sternoclavicular joints.

At present, Western medicine has no specific treatment for intercostal neuralgia caused by unknown reasons, and mostly uses symptomatic treatments such as painkillers, which can only temporarily relieve symptoms and cannot fundamentally solve the problem.