FACT: The 6 most common causes of chest pain. 8x for immediate help

Chest pain, pressure in the chest, discomfort behind the sternum, pain near the heart, in the chest or under the chest, in the lungs. People describe pain in this location differently.

The occurrence of symptoms in this area naturally takes us by surprise. No wonder, after all, chest pain indicates heart problems.

Fortunately, and for the most part...

It's not always the case. Most of the time, it's caused by a less serious cause. Examples include chest congestion and pain radiating from the spine. Our backs hurt more and more often.

And we all know why the spine is bothering us more and more...
Cause:
POOR/UNSUITABLE LIFESTYLE.

The thoracic region, of course, encompasses multiple body and organ systems. Each of these can be a source of trouble.

If we manage to swallow badly, we get unpleasant pain. Heartburn and other digestive problems often occur. If we continue, we find a plethora of these extra-cardiac problems.

In spite of modern times, cardiovascular diseases are not on the decline. On the contrary, they are increasingly affecting our health because of the times and our unsuitable lifestyles.

They hurt in the middle, on the right, on the left, when breathing, taking a deep breath, coughing, or the pain radiates between the shoulder blades, or from the space between the shoulder blades to the chest, changing with movement.

The question is: Why does chest pain arise and when is it dangerous?

1. Why can I have chest pain?

Most of the reasons why we may have chest pain are summarized in the following table.

Table of the most common causes of chest pain

1. Psychology and stress	anxiety, fear, panic, neurasthenia, tetany, stress feeling of anxiety in the chest at times of increased psychological stress heart palpitations or sweating, dizziness and general malaise may occur from various stressful situations
2. Musculoskeletal and thoracic	injuries, bumps, after a fall, sprains and strains after chest exercises ribs, hamstrings, tendons, tendons, muscles spinal problems, cervical and thoracic spine improves at times of rest and relaxation often occurs in pregnancy and women with overly large breasts could also report problems
3. Digestion	heartburn, GERD, indigestion, ulcer disease, hiatal hernia, gallbladder and pancreatic disease Poorly swallowed bites and oesophageal spasms occur after food or liquids, when swallowing accompanied by a feeling of fullness or bloating a burning sensation from the stomach upwards a feeling of bitterness and acidity in the mouth
4. Lungs and breathing	initial discomfort may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature, fever usually has a longer onset of symptoms stinging, burning or other pains that are aggravated by breathing, coughing lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy coughing up mucus inhalation of dust, dirt, foreign body asthma, COPD oncological diseases - lung cancer pulmonary hypertension but also other, less and more serious
5. Heart and blood vessels	pericarditis, myocarditis, other inflammations of the heart high blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders angina pectoris in persons treated for IHD cardiac artery disease/arterial disease heart muscle infarction pulmonary embolism
6. Shingles	also referred to as herpes zoster tingling, itching, stinging or pricking sensation at the site of the skin rash redness and rash of varying degrees gradual formation of blisters attention to infectivity, especially in persons and children who have not had chickenpox
Other	Overweight and obesity, smoking, anaemia, diabetes, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, aortic dissection, cancer and many others

When to seek professional help immediately?

Immediate examination, without undue delay and delay, is required by the condition when difficulties are present:

with sudden, rapid onset
pain radiating to the arms, back, neck and jaw or upper abdomen
if the pain is intense, shocking, characterised as the worst pain in life
description of a feeling of heaviness, pressure, tightness in the chest, also twitching, crushing, as if someone is sitting on the chest / pressing on the chest
feeling of pounding heartbeat and rapid pulse (tachycardia) or too slow pulse (bradycardia)
shortness of breath, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, feeling short of breath, both as a subjective sensation and as a difficulty visible externally
sweating, pallor, nausea and a feeling of nausea, even vomiting
if the symptoms last more than 10 minutes and do not subside

+ Are you being treated for angina pectoris?

IF the nature, intensity of the trouble has changed
- Is your chest pain different than usual?
- Have other symptoms joined in?
IF NTG (nitroglycerin) is not working for you
- Have you taken 1 NTG and the pain has not subsided at all or has subsided only slightly or for a short time?
- Have you taken 2 NTG and the desired effect has not occurred?
  - A second dose of nitrates is given if the first dose did not work and there was no drop in blood pressure.
  - If the pain does not subside, the second tablet of nitroglycerin can be given 10 minutes later.
IF discomfort persists for more than 10 minutes after sedation
- Have you stopped the activity, calmed down and it has no effect?
IF the discomfort occurred at rest

In any case, even minor and recurrent discomforts require a medical examination to discover their source.

What to do until the emergency services arrive?

While you are waiting for the ambulance (in the case of cardiac problems):
You will sit still and limit or stop any activity, calm yourself.
You will loosen tight clothing.
You will not eat or drink anything.
The room can be ventilated.

If you are prescribed angina medication (nitroglycerin), you will take it under your tongue. Be careful not to have a blood pressure below 100 mm Hg (BP - systolic/upper blood pressure).

Aspirin, acylpyrine (acetylsalicylic acid, acidum acetylsalicylicum, ASA) at a dose of 300 mg is taken by people who are sick and being treated for heart disease and have it prescribed by a doctor.

WARNING:
Acetylsalicylic acid should not be taken by children under 12 years of age!

3. What will help with pain?

There is no single answer to this question. The source of the trouble varies and so does the solution.

In any case, the important thing is: PREVENTION.

Prevention of injuries, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, digestive problems, etc. Of course, enough exercise, rest and sleep, no stress, control of body weight and energy intake and output, balanced diet, drinking, no smoking, very careful with alcohol, no drugs or steroids.

Consistent treatment of long-term illnesses, preventive check-ups, examinations in case of difficulties.

Just a healthy lifestyle.

For further additional information see our articles:

Remember:
If you have chest pain, of any kind, we recommend you see a doctor. A doctor can distinguish serious causes from less serious ones. There is no substitute for a professional examination or home diagnosis (now called "self-diagnosis").

nhs.uk - Chest pain
webmd.com - What's Causing My Chest Pain?
medicalnewstoday.com - What could cause chest pain?
healthdirect.gov.au - Chest pain
heart.org - Angina (Chest Pain)
health.clevelandclinic.org - Chest Pain: 3 Signs It's Not a Heart Attack and Possible Causes
rush.edu - 6 Facts About Chest Pain
njcardiovascular.com - Is Chest Pain Ever Normal?
escardio.org - ESC - European Society of Cardiology
adc.sk - Nitroglycerin-SLOVAKOFARMA tbl slg 0,5 mg

Bc. Lukáš Tóth

Healthcare worker

The secondary medical school in Nitra gave me the basis for my career in the field of health and diseases. Thanks to it, I worked for 2 years in the traumatology clinic and outpatient clinic at the Nitra Hospital. Since 2006 I was employed in the emergency medical service, where I stayed until 2017. I completed my bachelor's degree at the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra in the field of emergency health care. The bachelor's degree allowed me to continue my mission as a paramedic. In the meantime, I got a job at the emergency line 155. I have been working in pre-hospital health care until today. I had an interest in people, health and even diseases in my childhood, which gave me the prerequisite to pursue this topic in adulthood. Studying and acquiring new information in practice provided me with a great basis for writing professional texts, in the form of articles that can be understood by ordinary people. Thus, my interest in the Health Portal has a solid foundation in years of practice and personal interest. Similarly, I am also interested in healthy eating, nutrition and overall healthy lifestyle. I fill my free time with family and sports.

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