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7 Major Causes of Chest Pain that are Life Threatening

Saturday, April 9, 2011

A lot of people experience chest pain and usually have little or no hint to what might be causing it or whether it should be treated urgently or allowed to resolve on its own. This need not be a big concern once you are able to rule out the life threatening causes of chest pain which require immediate attention of a qualified physician.

Generally, it is true that chest pain is usually a symptom of disorder in a particular organ or system in the body trunk rather than a disease itself but most people just refer to pains felt around the chest region as chest pains. This pain is sometimes felt close to the neck or abdomen and it may extend into the shoulder or jaw depending on the severity.

However, this pain may result from a lung disorder, heart disorder, muscle burn etc and is sometimes very dangerous to be left untreated immediately. Normally, a life threatening chest pain would lasts more than just a few minutes and usually presents extended pains.

Some of the life threatening causes of chest pain are:

  • Pulmonary Embolus involves the blockage of the pulmonary blood vessel, a primary blood supplying vessel to the lungs. It is very serious and life threatening because, little or no blood in the lungs would result in reduced oxygenation of blood and thus, low energy for body functions.
  • Angina is caused by inefficient oxygen supply to the heart because of reduction in size of the vessel supplying the heart or a slight blockage in its path. This is similar to heart attack but the vessel is not completely blocked and there is still a little blood supply to the heart.
  • Perforated Viscus results when there is a leakage from the gastrointestinal track towards the upper abdomen. This can irritate the diaphragm at the base of the lungs and cause chest pain
  • Drug-induced Pain usually occurs in people who take cocaine. This is because cocaine tightens blood vessels and thus decreases oxygen supply and increases the risk of heart attack.
  • Pneumothorax refers to the presence of air in the chest cavity outside of the lungs. It is a situation whereby presence of this air causes a difference in pressure gradient and hence, the lungs collapse spontaneously.
  • Heart Attack is a severe situation caused by lack of oxygen supply to the heart resulting in heart muscle’s death. This condition may initially cause chest pains but presents more advanced symptoms afterwards.
  • Aorta Dissection is a condition whereby there is a fissure in the path of an aorta (which is the major vessel that supplies the heart) and results in inefficient oxygen supply to the heart

Conclusion

Once you discover your chest pain may be life threatening, make your way straight to a qualified physician. Try not to drive by yourself. You can call your family doctor over if there is no one else around to drive.

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5 Major Causes of Chest Pain that are Non-Life threatening

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Chest pain can be very scary because it is originating from the part of our body– the heart- that gives life to the rest of the body. Truly, sometimes this pain can be life threatening whereas at other times, it is just a result of a long term disorder or acute inflammation of some parts or organs of the body enclosed within the rib cage. However, the causes of chest pain are actually inexhaustible but usually relate to one another and can be easily identified by the type and location of the pain.

Generally, non-life threatening causes of chest pain are expected to resolve within a few minutes of feeling the pain sensation. Thus, it is important to be aware of them to determine whether to begin to worry and urgently call a physician or not to. Nevertheless, once you cannot give an ordinary description to your chest pain, pick up the phone and call your doctor.

Some of the major non-life threatening causes of chest pain are:

Acute Inflammation of the pericardium (Pericarditis)

This is a sudden irritation of the sac covering the heart and can result from many conditions e.g. presence of a foreign body, spread of infection from other part of the body, etc. Normally, it is not a reason to panic but get doctors attention when you can to treat the underlying disorder.

Acute Inflammation of the lungs (Pneumonia)

Pneumonia refers to the inflammation of the lungs. It could be very mild at the acute stage and does not need panicking. However, it becomes more serious and threatens life if allowed to worsen and become a more severe condition.

Acid reflux disease

Acid reflux disease is a condition whereby acid or acidic contents (that digest the food we eat) of the stomach get to the upper part of the oesophagus when vomiting. The stinging bite of the stomach acids can cause a serious chest pain when this happens. This however only lasts a few minutes and resolve when the stomach acid return to the stomach where they belong.

Acute Inflammation of the oesophagus (Oesophagitis)

Oesophagitis is the inflammation of the oesophagus, the organ that transports food into the stomach from the mouth. Irritation of any part of this organ within the rib cage can cause severe pain. However, it should naturally heal by itself. If it causes too much inconvenience, you can see your doctor to get drugs to quickly heal the wound plus a pain relieving drug.

Acute Inflammation of the cartilage (Costochondritis)

When the cartilage of the bones of the chest are inflamed, there may be chest pain though it is one of the life threatening causes of chest pain and lasts only a few minutes.

Other conditions that may cause non-life threatening chest pains are prolapse of the mitral valve and shingles which are usually short-lived and quickly resolve by themselves.

Conclusion

For a physician to accurately and properly diagnose the real underlying disease causing the chest pain, it is extremely important that you give detailed and correct history of your condition.  You should include the occasional pain that disrupts your work sometimes.

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