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Common Causes and Symptoms of Chest Pain

Common Causes and Symptoms of Chest Pain

Chest pain is most commonly associated with the onset of a heart attack, but the medical definition of this symptom is a little broader. For one thing, it is not confined to the chest.  nyc-heart-doctor

The pain, pressure, tightness or discomfort that you feel is defined as chest pain if it occurs anywhere between your neck and your abdomen. This includes:

  • Esophagus
  • Heart
  • Lungs
  • Stomach
  • Ribs
  • Jaw
  • Arms
  • Head

There are a wide range of reasons you might experience chest pain. Some of them are cardiac-related, others are not. This article will look at some of the common health problems that can cause this pain.

One Symptom; Many Causes

Persistent pain in your chest should always be evaluated by a heart specialist. Here is a list of the usual suspects they tend to look for:

Angina-this can happen either with physical exertion (considered stable) or unexpectedly as a symptom of a more severe heart problem (considered unstable). It is an indication that there is a decrease in the blood flow and oxygen being supplied to the heart.

Heartburn-although this is generally a gastric problem between your stomach and your esophagus, it can cause pain in your sternum until the acid reflux is brought under control.

Heart attack-another way to think of this medical condition is severe, life-threatening angina. In this case, blood flow and oxygen are unexpectedly cut off by a restriction or blood clot. This causes severe chest pain and muscle death if the heart is not treated right away.

Aortic dissection-when the main artery of the heart separates from the muscle after prolonged hypertension or a sharp blow to the chest.

Esophageal spasm-a medical condition caused by uncoordinated muscle control between your throat and your stomach. In addition to chest pain, patients have difficulty swallowing.

Digestive problems-this could be something as simple as indigestion or something as complicated as ulcers and gallstones. Either way, these health problems have been known to cause chest pain.

This list ranges from the trivial to the life-threatening, which is the larger point of this article. Don

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