Is Chest Pain Always Serious?

Chest pain is a common problem for both women and men, ranking second as the most common reason why people visit the emergency room. It also accounts for about 1% of all doctor office visits — yet fortunately, only a small percentage of chest pain is related to serious heart problems, like heart attacks. 

There’s no real way of telling if chest pain is due to a heart problem or another issue unless you have your symptoms medically evaluated. But knowing what other issues could be causing your discomfort can be helpful in determining a diagnosis.

Anthony B. Lewis MD, FACC, and his team at TLC Medical Group, Inc. have extensive experience in both diagnosing and treating chest pain. In this post, learn what other conditions can cause chest pain symptoms and why chest pain should never be ignored.

Why chest pain happens

As many as 40% of women and men have chest pain at some point during their lifetimes, and with heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States, it’s not surprising that many people worry their pain could be related to a heart attack. Fortunately, less than half of emergency room visits for chest pain are due to heart problems — and that means more than 50% are due to other causes.

Chest wall pain

Chest wall pain typically happens from an injury to your chest or ribs, like a fall or sports injury. It can also occur alongside chronic coughing or physical exertion resulting from a strained muscle or ligament.

Acid reflux

More commonly known as heartburn, acid reflux happens when stomach acids move backward (reflux) into the esophagus. Reflux can cause chest pain and aching that is easily confused for heart-related problems.

Ribcage inflammation

When most of us think of our joints, we think of our knees, elbows, or other “bending” joints. But your ribs have joints, too, and like other joints, the rib joints are prone to inflammation — a condition called costochondritis. When your ribs are inflamed, you can have chronic, worsening, or recurrent chest pain that can mimic heart-related pain.

Lung-related problems

Lung diseases and infections, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, cancer, and upper respiratory infections can cause chest pain. So can chronic coughing due to illness, smoking, or other causes.

Anxiety or panic disorder

Anxiety and panic attacks can cause chest pain, along with rapid breathing, palpitations, sweating, and other symptoms associated with heart attacks. But rather than being related to a heart problem, anxiety-related chest pain is caused by the release of stress hormones — the same hormones responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response.

Other heart issues

When chest pain is related to the heart, it’s not always due to a heart attack. Pain can also be caused by angina, congestive heart failure, and infection, along with other heart problems.

Why a medical evaluation is critical

Until humans develop see-through skin, there’s no way to tell on your own what’s causing your chest pain. What’s more, even chest pain not related to your heart can still be serious and even life-threatening.

Having a medical evaluation is the only way to know why chest pain is happening so it can be treated promptly and appropriately. In addition to a complete review of your symptoms and your medical history, Dr. Lewis and his team use an array of diagnostic tests to evaluate chest pain, including:

• EKG
• Chest X-ray
• Ultrasound (echocardiogram)
• Stress testing
• Holter monitors
• Lab testing
• Angiography

These tests can be used to get to your symptoms' root cause and manage your treatment.

Don’t ignore your chest pain

Even if you think your chest pain is related to something benign, like heartburn, you should never ignore it, especially if it’s chronic, recurrent, or worsening. 

To schedule a chest pain evaluation and get care right away, call 772-200-3829 or request an appointment online with the team at TLC Medical Group in Port St. Lucie, Florida, today. If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 or head to the nearest emergency room immediately.