What causes chest pain?

What is chest pain? Many friends often have chest pain and want to know what causes the pain. Many times the pain only lasts for a while or a few times, and often they can’t find out what’s wrong with them when they go to the hospital. So they will be very worried and afraid that some bad disease will occur. So if you have chest pain, it is best to pay attention to observe how often the pain occurs, how long it lasts, and whether there is any pattern. Perhaps you can find the cause.

However, many people suffer from chest pain. As we all know, the left side of the chest is where the heart is located, so more attention needs to be paid. Once chest pain occurs, people think that there is a problem with the heart and will be very panicked. At this time, it will cause symptoms such as rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. So don’t panic. Seek medical attention in time when you feel pain. Some pains cannot be detected after the pain has passed, so it is best to go to the hospital when you feel pain. You should also ask the doctor in detail what kind of pain you feel in order to diagnose.

1. What is the reason for frequent left chest pain?

1. Pleurisy with pain in the left chest.

If chest pain worsens when you take a deep breath or cough, it indicates pleural inflammation, which is more common in patients with tuberculosis or lung tumors. Patients with pleuritic pain may press their hands on one side of the chest wall, avoid deep breathing, or suppress coughing. Over time, chest pain may move from one location to another. In addition, if the lung tumor spreads to the chest wall or ribs, it will cause persistent, intractable chest pain, which can usually be diagnosed by a chest X-ray or chest CT scan.

2. Pneumothorax with pain in the left chest.

Some young people suddenly experienced chest pain when lifting heavy objects. X-ray examination revealed that it was "pneumothorax". This type of spontaneous pneumothorax is more common in young and middle-aged people. Typical symptoms include sudden chest pain, accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and sometimes shortness of breath, a feeling of suffocation, irritability, cyanosis, sweating, shock, etc.

Nature and characteristics of chest pain:

3. Characteristics of chest pain

Chest pain caused by chest wall diseases is clearly localized and may be accompanied by redness, swelling, tenderness, rash, and deformity.

4. Nature of chest pain

The chest pain caused by intercostal neuritis is paroxysmal, stabbing pain. Esophagitis causes burning pain. Tearing pain is common in dissecting aneurysms.

5. Location of chest pain

Pain behind the sternum is common with angina pectoris. Left anterior chest pain can also be angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or left-sided pneumonia. Chest pain radiating to the left shoulder is often angina pectoris.

2. Common diseases that cause chest pain

1. Pleural diseases

Such as pleurisy, pneumothorax, lung infection, pulmonary infarction, lung tumor, esophageal disease, mediastinal tumor, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, etc. The chest pain caused by these diseases is related to breathing and coughing. Chest pain worsens with deep breathing and coughing, often accompanied by difficulty breathing. Chest pain is localized to the side of the lesion.

2. Cardiovascular disease

The most common ones are angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, followed by pericarditis. This type of chest pain often manifests as compressive, stuffy, or even tearing pain in the precordial area and behind the sternum. It often radiates to the left shoulder, neck and inner side of the left arm, and is accompanied by shock symptoms in severe cases.

3. Chest wall disease

Chest pain can be caused by chest wall contusion, rib fracture, costochondritis, intercostal neuritis, dermatitis, myositis, intermuscular neuralgia, herpes zoster, esophagitis, etc. Herpes zoster causes severe chest pain that runs along the ribs, and dense small blisters appear on the skin after 1-2 days.

4. Organ lesions

Such as subphrenic abscess, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, etc.

5. Chest trauma

It is common in cases of rib fractures, a history of chest trauma, and chest pain that worsens with breathing or coughing.

6. Spinal diseases

The spinal nerves and autonomic nerves that originate from the cervical and thoracic spinal cord can send branches to the cell wall, cell membrane, diaphragm, heart and other parts. When the cervical and thoracic vertebrae are slightly dislocated, stretched, or inflammatory due to trauma, strain, or exposure to cold, the related spinal nerves or autonomic nerves may be stimulated, causing chest pain. This type of chest pain symptom often worsens with the worsening of spinal lesions and eases with the alleviation of spinal diseases.

The causes of chest pain are complex and diverse, and should be carefully identified in clinical practice to avoid misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.

3. Emergency measures for severe chest pain:

1. If you suspect an angina attack, immediately inhale oxygen, rest, and take nitroglycerin sublingually.

2. For chest pain caused by pleurisy or chest wall disease, you can use a wider abdominal belt to fix the chest wall at the painful area to reduce the movement of the chest during breathing.

3. Go to the hospital immediately for an electrocardiogram and X-ray examination to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is directed at the cause.

4. Take painkillers appropriately

Do you understand what chest pain is? If you have chest pain, pay more attention to it in your life, follow the doctor's diagnosis and use the correct medication, do not do strenuous exercise, try to smoke and drink less, and protect your body.