Chest pain: symptoms, signs, causes and treatment

Medically reviewed: 24, January 2024

Chest pain: overview of the symptom

Symptom – chest pain is one of the most common unpleasant sensations that occurs not only due to various diseases, but also against a background of many causes not related to pathologies of internal organs. But in any case, a person needs to undergo a clinical examination to identify the factors causing such an unpleasant sensation.

Pain in the chest can arise from cardiovascular diseases, respiratory system disorders, gastrointestinal organs, spine, brain and central nervous system. The localization of pain can tell a lot to a person, for example, chest pain on the right can mean that you should pay attention to the liver, intestines and gallbladder, and the chest pain on the left is often associated with heart disease, but, in addition, there is a possibility of problems with a spleen.

But most often painful sensations arise in the middle of the chest, which makes a person often feel pain in the chest when breathing. Such a feeling in adolescents can lead to even a slight displacement of the bone. Pain in the chest with cough means inflammation of the lungs.

Some processes in the body of a woman, for example, menstruation or breast feeding of a child leads to such an unpleasant symptom. When diagnosing a patient, it is very important to describe the place where there is discomfort, and the intensity of its manifestation, due to this the doctor will be able to quickly understand with which body he is going to work.

Etiology of chest pain

Since the main purpose of the chest is to protect vital organs, there can be very many reasons for the onset of this symptom. Not always the reasons are connected with internal diseases.

Diseases that cause pain in the middle of the chest:

• ulcerative neoplasms in the stomach or duodenum;
• various heart diseases, for example, heart attack, changes in heart rate, aortic dilatation;
• the occurrence of thrombosis in the arteries of the lungs;
• change in the number of white blood cells in one direction or another;
• a wide range of injuries or bruises of the chest;
• displacement of the spinal discs;
• pneumonia – the degree of manifestation of painful sensations depends on the stage of the disease;
• inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea;
• bronchitis, especially chronic;
• lack of oxygen in the muscles of the heart;
• the formation of malignant or benign tumors, located in breast or lungs.

Pain under the right breast occurs when:

• hepatitis;
• liver diseases;
• pathologies or infectious processes in the gallbladder;
• pancreatitis;
• trauma or inflammation of the diaphragm;
• tumors on one of the lungs;
• tuberculosis;
• disorders of the psyche, for example, prolonged hysteria;
• injuries or minor bruises of the spine. Especially often the chest pain on the right begins to be expressed in fractures or displacement of the intervertebral discs.

If there was pain under the left breast, this means the following factors contributed to it:

• various diseases or pathologies of the spleen (which is why most of the soreness can be observed on the right side);
• the rupture of this organ or the appearance of oncology on it;
• abnormal enlarged spleen;
• stomach ulcer;
• hiatal hernia;
• malignant tumors in the digestive tract.

These diseases and disorders lead to the appearance of chest pain not only in women, but also in men.

The main cause of pain in the chest during inspiration is pericarditis, but the pain appears only at a certain position of the body and passes with his shift. Viral processes in the bronchi or lungs cause the appearance of pain in the chest when coughing.

In addition, there are a number of reasons for the painful syndrome in the chest, characteristic only for women:

• a benign growth of the mammary gland, which in the medical field is called mastopathy. But such a disorder can be diagnosed only by a mammalian or oncologist;
• imbalance of hormones can be observed not only during menstruation, but is the main factor that there is pain in the chest during pregnancy;
• long exposure to direct sunlight;
• lack of iodine in the body;
• premenstrual syndrome. Often, women notice that the breast increases so much that it is simply impossible to sleep on the stomach for some time, heaviness is observed while walking, underwear becomes tight;
• excessively high body weight, leads to the fact that the body of a woman increases the number of male hormones;
  uncomfortable brassiere. Very often, female representatives select their own hard underwear, which can squeeze the lymph nodes, which, in turn, cause the pain in the middle of the chest.

Chest and breast pain while breastfeeding

The reasons why there is pain at a time when a woman is breastfeeding a child:

• The mammary glands are activated to produce milk that the baby needs;
• cracks in the nipples;
• abnormal capture of the breast by the baby;
• incorrect hygiene of the breast and nipples;
• completion before the time of feeding the baby, when the mother forcibly seizes the chest from the mouth of the child.

Symptoms of chest pain

Despite the fact that pain under the breast is the main symptom of many diseases, it can be accompanied by some signs inherent in background disorders. Thus, the pain under the left breast is accompanied by:

• aching pain in the upper chest, which is typical for the initial stage of disorders of internal organs such as stomach, pancreas, small intestine or spleen;
• nausea and vomiting attacks – this is the main manifestation of peptic ulcer;
• sharp spasms, expressed due to pathologies in the cardiovascular system;
• increased body temperature;
• severe chest pain on the left can indicate the formation of blood clots. Often, it can spread throughout the chest, the left arm or go to the back. Most often this indicates an onset of a heart attack;
• stitching sensations in the chest, not related to heart disease, but refer to problems with the spine;
• a burning sensation is an additional symptom, indicative of a myocardial infarction.

In addition, the pain under the left breast can spread to the healthy right side. In case of intensive expression of chest pain, immediately it is necessary to call an ambulance or to deliver the victim as soon as possible to a medical institution.

The pain in the chest on the right is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• a sharp manifestation of pain indicates that the person has problems with the spine. Often this is a symptom of the intervertebral hernia;
• the emergence of acute pain syndrome is the first sign that the work of the respiratory system and lungs has been disrupted. In addition, such pain in the right breast is expressed in other disorders, severe bruises, fractures or other injuries;
• colic on the right side means that a person has problems with the intestine;
• the pain in the chest on the right side of the aching nature is expressed not only in diseases of the heart, but also can arise due to fracture of the ribs. Often because of this, there is pain in the middle of the chest.

In addition, the sensation of pain in the right breast is not always localized in this place, it often happens that the true cause of the pain on the right is a passing pain on the left side.

It should be noted that the pain in the chest before menstruation is accompanied in women by other symptoms characteristic for this period:

• weight and discomfort in the middle of the chest;
• general weakness;
• sharp mood changes;
• drowsiness;
• the appearance of pain in the abdomen, legs and back.

Additional symptoms that may accompany pain in the right or left breast in women with breastfeeding the baby:

• burning sensation in the skin;
• the appearance of cracks on the nipples;
• severe itching.

This indicates that infection with bacteria may have occurred. Because of this, a woman feels unpleasant sensations not only during feeding, but also after it.

The pain under the breast, or rather, in the middle of it, has several additional specific symptoms. For example, attacks of severe cough caused by pneumonia. What is characteristic, pain can spread to other areas of the breast or body area. Difficult swallowing or a feeling of discomfort in this process is also due to the fact that there is a foreign object in the human body. This is most common in young children.

Most common causes of chest pain

Myocardial infarction

The pain is very strong, it is perceived as a dagger, tearing, burning, “a stake in the chest.” Sometimes it is a feeling of strong contraction, compression, a sense of heaviness (“pulled the hoop, squeezed into the vise, crushed by a heavy plate”). The onset of pain is sudden, often at night or in the pre-morning hours. Painful sensations develop wavy, periodically decrease, but do not stop completely.

With each new wave, the pain sensations increase, quickly reach a maximum, and then weaken. The painful attack lasts more than 30 minutes, sometimes for hours. Another important distinguishing feature of myocardial infarction is the absence of reduction or cessation of pain at rest or when Nitroglycerin is taken.

Angina pectoris

Angina is characterized by feelings of compression, severity, raspiraniya, burning behind the sternum, arising from physical exertion. Pain can spread to the left arm, under the left scapula, in the neck. Less often the pain is given to the lower jaw, the right half of the chest, the right arm, to the upper abdomen. The pain attack with angina continues more than one, but less than 15 minutes.

The onset of pain is sudden, directly at the height of physical exertion. Most often, such a load is walking, especially in cold winds, after a plentiful meal, while climbing the stairs. The end of the pain, as a rule, occurs immediately after a decrease or complete cessation of physical activity or 2-3 minutes after taking Nitroglycerin under the tongue.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

In diseases of the esophagus: pain occurs during eating and is characterized by a feeling of bursting. Stomach ulcer can also cause pain, the pain is dull, and always occurs after eating.

Diseases of the chest and spine

Diagnosis of such pain is simple: it is enough to probe that area of ​​the thorax where there is pain, or make several inclinations by the body, the pain will immediately manifest itself. Pain often increases at the height of inspiration.

Diseases of the lungs

This pain is accompanied by a sharp restriction of movement in the affected area, the slightest effort causes acute pain.

Diagnostics of chest pain

When establishing the underlying disease, an important role is played by the location of the localization and the degree of intensity of the manifested symptoms. When diagnosing pathologies related to the manifestation of pain in the right breast, the following activities are carried out:

• the collection of complete information on the time of finding the first symptoms, the exact place of origin and the nature of the pain, and providing the patient with a medical record so that the doctor knows all of his medical history;
• examination of the patient by a doctor;
• pulse and pressure measurement;
• Chest X-ray;
• blood sampling for general and biochemical analysis;
• equipment examination of a patient with CT;
• ECG is a record of heart activity.

After receiving all the results, the doctor will be able to determine which organ has been affected or what disease occurs in a person.

Diagnostic techniques for pain under the left breast include:

• the study of the patient’s anamnesis by the attending physician;
• measurement of blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature;
• X-ray examination of the chest;
• ultrasound;
• blood and urine tests for subsequent laboratory tests, to detect an infectious or inflammatory process;
  study of lung vessels;
• CT-scan and MRI.

It is impossible to carry out self-diagnosis of chest pain on the left – these measures should be performed only by a specialist.

Treatment of chest pain

Depending on the diagnosis, the treatment of pain under the left breast is prescribed, which consists of:

• medical intervention with a possible rupture of the spleen;
• the appointment of medications that can eliminate problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• admission of analgesics for trauma or lung disease;
• consultations of the neurologist.

The pain therapy on the right side of the chest is:

• bed rest and ensuring complete rest for a person who has pain on the background of problems with breathing;
• with ulcers, probiotics and strict diets are prescribed;
• chemotherapy in leukemia;
• medical intervention or special corsets are prescribed for diseases of the spine;
• psychotherapy, if the cause of the pain were mental disorders.

But these are only general methods of treating chest pain. More complex treatment is assigned to each patient individually, depending on the causes and intensity of pain.

Therapy of chest pain in women during the feeding of a child consists in proper care of nipples, wearing special underwear. In addition, it is necessary to learn how to properly feed the baby, and also to limit ourselves from premature interruption of this process.

Which doctors should be consulted if there is chest pain:

• Cardiologist
• Infectionist
• Therapist
• Gastroenterologist.