Lung Condition Symptoms: Chest Pain

Chest pain can be a scary thing. When you feel tightness, a stabbing feeling, or a dull ache in your chest that might radiate, panic starts to set in. Are you experiencing a heart attack? Are you going to die? The anxiety of not knowing for sure only increases the sensations. If this has happened to you, you are not alone. A study shows that about a quarter of people experience chest pain at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, chest pain is caused by several things, both serious and not-so-serious, which means you will never know the underlying cause until you seek emergency medical assistance or make an appointment to see a physician. If you have recently endured chest pain or it keeps coming back frequently, it’s icritical and maybe even life-saving to know the possible causes, so you can take the necessary steps to address the issue. 

Let’s dive into the most common causes of chest pain and treatment options. 

The chest pain that occurs due to a heart condition compared to another cause can feel different. Also, for various reasons, adding numerous factors to the equation, one person’s experience might not be the same as another person’s, even if they have the same condition or diagnosis.  

In general, medical experts share the uncomfortable symptoms during a heart-related occurrence versus chest pain related to something else. 

• Pressure, fullness, burning, or tightness in your chest
• Crushing or searing pain that spreads to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders, and one or both arms
• Pain that lasts more than a few minutes, gets worse with activity, goes away and comes back, or varies in intensity
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Dizziness or weakness
• Nausea or vomiting

• A sour taste or a sensation of food re-entering your mouth
• Trouble swallowing
• Pain that gets better or worse when you change your body position
• Pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough
• Tenderness when you push on your chest
• Pain that persists for many hours

This doesn’t mean that a person with a heart-related event won’t experience any of these symptoms; it simply means they are less likely to. 

Ultimately, only a physician can tell you with certainty if a patient’s symptoms are heart-related or not.

There are a plethora of underlying reasons why someone might experience chest pain. The cause can be related to the heart or blood vessels, such as angina, a heart attack, a tear of the aorta, and heart inflammation. Chest pain can also occur due to lung issues. Pneumonia, a blood clot in the lungs, swelling around the lungs, and a lung collapse are quite painful in the chest area. Other events can cause chest pain, such as anxiety or panic attacks, heartburn, shingles, inflammation, spasms, gallstones, and ulcers. 

With a list like this, it’s no wonder people should seek a diagnosis as soon as possible. Diagnostic assessments include a chest x-ray, ECK, EKG, CT scan, and/or a blood test. 

Medications, surgeries, and lifestyle changes are standard treatment options for the causes of chest pain. 

A few medications regularly used to treat this issue are nitroglycerin, which is an artery relaxer, aspirin, blood thinners, and even antidepressants. 

Surgery is either the last option or needs to happen in emergency situations. Most people have heard of bypass surgery, where surgeons create a way for blood to bypass a blocked artery. Angioplasty and stent placement are other options, and there are others depending on what the situation is. 

If chest pain happens to someone because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, physicians, nutritionists, or a wellness coach recommends changes that need to happen. These lifestyle changes might pair with medication therapy or surgery. 

The American Heart Association offers a valuable acronym so people know what’s important to remember regarding chest pain. This gives patients recommendations while allowing them to get insider information from a physician’s perspective to be proactive about their health. 

C: Chest pain means more than pain in the chest

H: High-sensitivity troponins preferred

E: Seek early care for acute symptoms

S: Share decision making

T: Testing not routinely needed in low-risk patients 

P: Use clinical decision pathways

A: Women may be more likely to present with accompanying symptoms

I: Identify patients most likely to benefit from further testing 

N: Non-cardiac is in; atypical is out

S: Structure risk assessment should be used

While knowledge is power, do not solely rely on this acronym; always seek medical help if you experience chest pain. 

If you experience chest pain, it is important to be aware of the symptoms and when to seek out medical help. It is easy to think that the pain will go away soon, but it is better to err on the side of caution and get checked out by a professional. Knowing when to get treatment can mean the difference between life and death. Allow the experts at Gwinnett Pulmonary Group to educate you more on the signs and symptoms of chest pain so that you can stay healthy and safe. And if you need a diagnosis and treatment, they are the best out there.