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CHEST PAIN
What is Coronary heart disease ?
There are many causes of chest pain from a muscle strain during exercise, to life-threatening coronary heart disease (angina or heart attack).The discomfort ranges from a feeling of mild pressure to a severe burning, crushing, or stabbing pain. When the pain is not a result of a minor injury, it must be given prompt medical attention, as it may be due to a serious disorder.
SYMPTOMS
Angina (chest pain resulting from the lack of oxygen in the blood that flows to the heart muscle):
- Mild to severe gripping pain over the chest. The pain occurs particularly during physical exertion or strong emotion. The pain may spread to the entire chest, then to the throat, jaws, back, shoulder blades, or radiate down the left arm. It goes away with rest.
- Breathing difficulty.
- Dizziness.
- Nausea.
- Sweat.
Heart attack (blockage of blood flow into part of the heart muscle resulting in tissue death in that area):
- Pain, as in angina, but more severe and prolonged, exceeding 30 minutes, and does not go away with rest.
- Shortness of breath.
- Restlessness.
- Cold sweat.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Loss of consciousness.
Heartburn (indigestion):
- Burning pain that starts in the upper abdomen, moves up to the centre of the chest, and reaches the throat when severe. The pain may travel up and down in waves, worsening when lying down and improving upon sitting up.
- Bitter (acidic) taste in the mouth due to the regurgitation of digestive juices.
Pleurisy (inflammation of the membranes that line the lungs, caused by the bacterial or viral infection of the lungs; often associated with pneumonia):
- Pain felt on the side of the affected lung. It is made worse when inhaling (breathing in).
- Shortness of breath.
- Fever, chills, sweating.
- Cough producing phlegm that is yellow-green and blood stained (at times).
Shingles (viral nerve infection):
- Mild to severe pain along a defined strip of blisters on one side (right or left) of the chest.
Injury
- Strained chest muscle: Pain where the muscle was pulled. It is aggravated by movement. The injury is likely caused by a sudden jerk or twist.
- Fractured (broken) rib, bruise: Pain in an area of the chest that was injured by a blow or fall.
The pain of a broken rib is severe and is aggravated by movement.
- Tenderness, swelling in the area.
- Vertebral injury (also due to osteoarthritis), in some cases: Sharp pain that moves to the front of the chest, due to pressure on a nerve root in the spinal cord.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Call an ambulance or go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital if you had a recent onset or worsening angina, a heart attack or a fractured rib.
Consult a doctor:
- If you experience symptoms of heartburn for the first time, since they can be due to angina or a heart attack.
- If you suspect pneumonia.
- Take simple painkillers for muscle injury or shingles. See a doctor as soon as possible if you have shingles so that he can prescribe antiviral treatment promptly and control the infection.
WHAT YOUR DOCTOR /PHARMACIST CAN DO FOR YOU
- Determine the cause of pain and treat it.
- Admit you to hospital for emergency treatment if it is angina attack or a heart attack.
- Admit you into hospital for the treatment of a fractured rib.
- Prescribe antibiotics for pneumonia or other lung infections.
- Refer you to a cardiovascular specialist.
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