Symptoms of costochondritis

Costochondritis is a common disease, and this disease mostly occurs in adults between 25 and 35 years old. Patients often experience symptoms such as swelling, bulge, dull pain or sharp pain in the cartilage area, so these symptoms must be treated scientifically.

1. Costochondritis is a common disease , which is divided into nonspecific costochondritis and infectious costochondritis. The most common type in clinical practice 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 inflammatory lesion that occurs at the junction of the costal cartilage and the sternum for unknown reasons. It manifests as a self-limiting disease with localized pain and swelling. It is more common in adults aged 25 to 35 years old, mostly women, but the elderly can also get the disease. Infectious costochondritis, also known as suppurative costochondritis, is a rare surgical infection.

2. Clinical manifestations

1. Nonspecific costochondritis

In the early stage of the disease, patients feel chest pain. After a few days, swelling, bulge, dull pain or sharp pain appear in the affected costal cartilage. The site of occurrence is mostly the 2nd to 4th costal cartilage beside the sternum, with the 2nd costal cartilage being the most common, and occasionally it can also occur in the costal arch. This disease often affects a single rib, but occasionally multiple ribs or both sides of the ribs are affected at the same time. There is obvious local tenderness, and the pain radiates severely to the scapula or side shoulder, upper arm, and armpit of the back, and is aggravated by deep breathing, coughing, and activity. Because the lesion is located in the upper part of the breast, there is also referred pain in the breast on the same side, and female patients mistakenly think they have breast pain and seek medical treatment. The course of the disease may last for several hours or days, but it may relapse and usually heal itself within a few months, but in some cases it may last for several years.

2. Infectious costochondritis

The local skin will become red, swollen, hot and painful, with chest pain being the main symptom. Most of the symptoms are of this type first, with varying degrees of severity. Patients are afraid to take deep breaths or cough due to chest pain, which can easily lead to lung infection. Soft tissue necrosis can form abscesses, and rupture of abscesses can form sinus tracts. Patients often have obvious systemic infection symptoms.