Chest pain

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

Chest pain can be a sign of a heart attack or other cardiac condition, but it can also be a symptom of problems related to respiration, digestion, bones and muscles, or other aspects of physical and mental health.[1]

Chest pain should always be taken seriously, even if it's mild or you don't suspect a life-threatening condition.[1]

Presentation[edit | edit source]

Prevalence[edit | edit source]

  • Katrina Berne reports a prevalence of 40% for chest pain.[2]

Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]

Chest pain is a potential symptom of Long COVID in the World Health Organization's definition.[3]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

Possible causes[edit | edit source]

The following list is from Healthline article 30 Causes for Chest Pain and When to Seek Help.[1]

Heart-related causes

  • Angina
  • Heart attack
  • Myocarditis
  • Pericarditis
  • Aortic aneurysm
  • Aortic dissection or rupture
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Valve disease

Respiratory causes

  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Collapsed lung
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthma
  • Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
  • Pleurisy
  • Lung cancer
  • Pulmonary hypertension

Digestive causes

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Esophagitis
  • Esophageal rupture
  • Primary esophageal motility disorders (PEMDs)
  • Dysphagia
  • Gallstones
  • Pancreatitis
  • Hiatal hernia

Mental health-related causes

Other causes

Potential treatments[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Roland, James; Sullivan, Debra (January 10, 2018). "Causes of Chest Pain: 30 Reasons for Pain and Tightness". Healthline. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  2. Berne, Katrina (December 1, 1995). Running on Empty: The Complete Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS) (2nd ed.). Hunter House. p. 58. ISBN 978-0897931915.
  3. Soriano, Joan B.; Allan, Maya; Alsokhn, Carine; Alwan, Nisreen A.; Askie, Lisa; Davis, Hannah E.; Diaz, Janet V.; Dua, Tarun; de Groote, Wouter; Jakob, Robert; Lado, Marta; Marshall, John; Murthy, Srin; Preller, Jacobus; Relan, Pryanka; Schiess, Nicoline; Seahwag, Archana (October 6, 2021), A clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus, World Health Organization (WHO) clinical case definition working group on post COVID-19 condition, World Health Organization