Chest pain

Chest pain or Chest pain are a symptom that occurs frequently in everyday medical practice. Chest pain can be signs of dangerous illnesses that should be examined by a doctor immediately. In most cases, organs such as the heart, lungs, esophagus or the muscular and skeletal system are responsible for chest pain.

What is chest pain?

Chest pain is also described in medicine as chest pain because the pain occurs in the thorax (chest), regardless of whether the pain is in the chest area or radiates into the thorax.

Patients experience various facets of chest pain; they are described as dull, burning, pulling or divorce symptoms. The intensity ranges from mild to death-inducing pain. The character of the pain gives clues to the cause of the pain.

Dangerous diseases can occur with chest pain; the lungs, heart, skeletal and muscular systems are mostly affected. Chest pain sometimes occurs under certain circumstances; it is breath-dependent, occurs when exercising or in a certain posture.

causes

Chest pain can come from diseases of all organs in the body. The most significant are the diseases of the heart. If pain occurs here, it can be assumed that the "blood flow" is disrupted. There are blood vessels in the chest that pump blood from the heart to the lungs. If there is a constriction of the vascular walls, this leads to a congestion and the vein clogged and a pulmonary embolism occurs. Unfortunately, this is often fatal.

If the heart muscle is no longer supplied with enough oxygenated blood, an angina pectoris attack occurs. This term comes from the Latin and means "tightness in the chest". The symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack. Such an attack of angina pectoris can occur during exertion or when one is very excited.

Severe chest pain also occurs when there is "air in the chest". Something like this usually arises from an outside influence. The air is then no longer in the alveoli or the airways, but between the pleura and lung tissue. If you have pneumonia, you will also experience severe pain in the chest area.

Breast pain in women most often depends on the menstrual cycle. A feeling of tension or a slight pulling or pressure is a perfectly normal sign that you are about to menstruate. After menstruation begins, the pain or the uncomfortable feeling goes away by itself. However, if the pain occurs regardless of the normal hormone fluctuations due to the monthly period, it is advisable to consult a doctor to investigate the cause. Chest pain can have many causes.

Sometimes stress or psychological stress also play a major role. The hormonal balance gets out of control. Chest pain in women can also have an entirely different cause - an improper bra. Over fifty percent of all women wear the wrong bra size, according to an analysis by a women's magazine.

Chest pain can be an upset stomach after eating too fatty foods. But maybe an inflammation of the esophagus, sore muscles, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) or something else comparatively harmless.

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Diseases with this symptom

• Coronary heart disease
• Myocarditis
• Broken rib
• ankylosing spondylitis
• arteriosclerosis
• lung infection

• Pneumothorax
• Mitral valve prolapse syndrome
• Pericarditis
• Tietze syndrome
• Lung cancer
• Angina pectoris

• Mediastinitis
• Aortic dissection
• Bruised ribs
• Roemheld Syndrome
• mastitis
• pleurisy

Complications

Chest pain immediately makes most people think of a heart attack. The doctor, however, assumes that chest pain has other causes, unless the patient belongs to a designated risk group for a heart attack. If a heart attack or some other serious cause of the heart muscle is the cause of the chest pain, it may be recognized too late if the doctor first clarifies harmless causes of the pain.

The more accurately the patient can describe the nature of the chest pain and other observations, the less likely it is that the doctor will make an incorrect diagnosis and not notice serious complications in time. Since chest pain is so often associated with serious illnesses such as heart attack, it can also happen that the patient feels so fearful that he overestimates the intensity of the chest pain.

They are, for example, a typical symptom of approaching panic attacks, whereby the patient at this moment no longer attributes the chest pain to the panic attack if he has not learned this in psychological treatment. Chest pain can also manifest itself in other mental illnesses, but these are initially viewed by the patient as a purely physical problem with a potentially serious cause. This can of course increase the already existing fear and nervousness even more, which leads to a very unpleasant exacerbation of the chest pain.

When should you go to the doctor?

Not all chest pain is dangerous and associated with a life-threatening illness. Long-lasting and recurring chest pain should always be clarified by a doctor. People who suffer more frequently from chest pain as part of a reflux disease or who have known angina pectoris, for example, should also consult a doctor if the intensity, location or character of the chest pain changes.

If additional symptoms occur, such as a general feeling of illness, drowsiness or fever, a doctor should be consulted. In the event of sudden, severe chest pain, the emergency doctor should be informed immediately, as a heart attack or pulmonary embolism (occlusion of a pulmonary vessel) can be present and every minute is vital.

Absolute warning signs for chest pain are nausea and vomiting, weakness, a feeling of pressure and anxiety, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, blue-colored lips, radiating pain in the left chest as well as bloody cough and pain when breathing. In the event of unconsciousness and failure to breathe, the person concerned must also be given chest compressions with ventilation (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until the emergency doctor arrives. In general, the following applies to chest pain: it is better to visit the doctor too much than one too late.

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Treatment & Therapy

As a rule, chest pain should be examined by a doctor, as more dangerous diseases are often associated. A doctor should be consulted immediately, especially if the pain is severe. If the pain is not so strong but persists for 2-3 days, the cause of the pain should also be clarified.

Outlook & forecast

If the disease is a benign change in the mammary glands such as changes in the connective tissue, inflammation or benign tumors, these are not life-threatening and a complete cure is possible in almost all cases. Changes in the mammary glands rarely increase the risk of cancer.

In the case of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, coronary heart disease or a heart attack, the prospects must be assessed very differently. Heart failure is incurable. However, with a suitable lifestyle, that is, if the prescribed medication is taken regularly, a worsening of the condition can be avoided. Every necessary check-up at the family doctor should be attended.

Coronary heart diseases always have a very positive prognosis if the bottleneck is removed surgically and the prescribed medication is taken regularly. The prognosis for pneumonia depends, in turn, on which pathogen caused it, how old the patient is and how well their defenses work. The type of therapy and how the patient responds to it is also decisive.

Relief of chest pain in the case of problems in the musculoskeletal system is achieved by treating the pain center. This means that if the trigger for the chest pain is a misalignment of the spine, then the prognosis for freedom from chest pain is positive if the spine therapy is successful.

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Home remedies & herbs for chest pain

• Fennel tea helps with breast ailments. In the case of breast infections, compresses are made with fennel leaves cooked in milk.

You can do that yourself

Chest pain can be the result of a myriad of diseases. Therefore, self-help is only conditionally recommended. Shortness of breath that accompanies chest pain can indicate a heart attack and other heart disease. In order to rule out this as a cause, a thorough examination should always be carried out by the internist.

Often the pain arises as a result of tension or scars from previous injuries, so it is muscular. Targeted stretching exercises can bring relief. Bad posture that squeezes the chest unconsciously leads to pain. Physiotherapy can help here. The physiotherapy exercises can and should be continued at home. Breath-dependent pain is also often the result of poor posture and can be remedied with gentle body therapy, massages and conscious sitting and standing. Chest pain after exercise indicates excessive exercise. In this case, the workload must be restricted.

Pain at the level of the sternum can also be attributed to improper diet, which causes acid regurgitation (reflux). The burning sensation can be easily alleviated by eating an alkaline diet with lots of vegetables. Emotional stress also often leads to a contraction of the chest and abdominal muscles. Then diffuse chest pain develops, which is exacerbated by fear. The aim here is to eliminate the causes of stress. Relaxation exercises, autogenic training, light endurance sports, enough sleep and a healthy diet contribute to an improvement and increase the quality of life.