Chest Pain Definition
It is a sudden feeling of pain in the chest.
Chest Pain Diagnosis
To determine the cause of the patient's chest pain, doctors perform tests such as an electrocardiogram test, stress tests, blood tests, chest X-ray, nuclear scan, coronary catheterization, electron beam computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiogram, or endoscopy. After a careful evaluation, doctors can often distinguish whether the chest pain is due to non-cardiac or cardiac causes.
Chest Pain Treatment
Chest pain due to heart problems may be treated with medications appropriate to the cause. If it is really a heart attack, the patient may be treated with clot-busting medication or undergo a surgical procedure. Chest pain due to non-cardiac causes is also treated depending on the problem. Patients may be evaluated and treated in an outpatient setting if doctors determine there is not immediate danger.
Chest Pain Symptoms and Signs
Patients may feel an unexplained and persistent chest pain or pressure or tightness in the chest. These feelings may also be accompanied with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness or pain radiating beyond the chest to one or both arms or neck.
Chest Pain Causes
Cardiac causes include heart attack, angina, pericarditis, or coronary artery spasm. Non-cardiac causes may include heartburn, pleurisy, costochondritis, pulmonary embolism, sore muscles, esophageal spasms, achalasia, shingles, or problems in the gallbladder or pancreas. Metabolic syndrome and endothelial dysfunction are heart-related conditions that may also cause chest pain. Noncardiac causes include heartburn, panic attack, pleurisy, costochondritis, pulmonary embolism, other lung conditions as well as sore muscles and swallowing disorders.
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