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Chest pain

Condition Overview:

Fortunately, chest pain doesn't always signal a heart attack.

Often chest pain is unrelated to any heart problem. But even if the chest pain you experience has nothing to do with your cardiovascular system, the problem may still be important — and worth the time spent in an emergency room to have your chest pain evaluated.Chest pain has many possible causes, all of which deserve medical attention. The causes of chest pain fall into two major categories — cardiac and noncardiac causes.Cardiac causes: Heart attack. A heart attack — a blood clot that's blocking blood flow to your heart muscle — can cause pressure, fullness or a crushing pain in your chest that lasts more than a few minutes. The pain may radiate to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders and arms, especially your left arm. Other signs and symptoms may include shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness and nausea. All, some or none of these may accompany your chest pain. Angina. Fatty deposits can build up in the arteries that carry blood to your heart, narrowing them and temporarily restricting blood flow to your heart, especially during times of exertion. Restricted blood flow to your heart can cause recurrent episodes of chest pain — angina pectoris, or angina. Angina (an-JI-nuh or AN-juh-nuh) is often described as a pressure or tightness in the chest. It's usually brought on by physical or emotional stress. The pain usually goes away within minutes after you stop the stressful activity.

Noncardiac causesMany conditions unrelated to your heart can cause chest pain. These include:Heartburn. Stomach acid that washes up from your stomach into the tube (esophagus) that runs from your mouth to your stomach can cause heartburn — a painful, burning sensation behind your breastbone (sternum). Often this feeling is accompanied by a sour taste and the sensation of food re-entering your mouth (regurgitation). Heartburn-related chest pain usually follows a meal and may last for hours. Signs and symptoms occur more frequently when you bend forward at the waist or lie down.
Panic attack. If you experience periods of intense fear accompanied by chest pain, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing (hyperventilation), profuse sweating and shortness of breath, you may be experiencing a panic attack — a form of anxiety.