Causes of chest pain can vary from minor problems (such as indigestion or stress), to serious medical emergencies (heart attack or pulmonary embolism). The specific cause of a chest pain can be difficult to interpret so if you are experiencing unexplained chest pain lasting more than a few minutes, it is better to seek emergency medical assistance.
5 threatening reasons you may be experiencing chest pain
A heart attack occurs when an artery that supplies oxygen to your heart muscle becomes blocked. A heart attack may cause chest pain that lasts 15 minutes or longer, or it can also be silent and produce no signs or symptoms. People who experience a heart attack have warning signs hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest warning sign may be ongoing episodes of chest pain that start when you’re physically active and are relieved by rest.
Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to your heart muscle. It is relatively common, but can be hard to distinguish from other types of chest pain.
Pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot, usually from the veins of your leg or pelvis, lodges in a pulmonary artery of your lung. The lung tissue served by the artery doesn’t receive enough blood flow resulting in its gradual deterioration. This makes it more difficult for your lungs to provide oxygen to the rest of your body.
An aortic dissection is a serious condition in which a tear develops in the inner layer of the aorta. Blood surges through this tear into the middle layer of the aorta, causing the inner and middle layers to separate (dissect). If the blood-filled channel ruptures through the outside aortic wall, aortic dissection is usually fatal.
Frequent signs and symptoms of pneumonia are chest pain accompanied by chills, fever and a cough that may produce bloody or foul-smelling sputum.
But not all chest pains are symptoms of a heart attack. One of the most common varieties of harmless chest pain is chest wall pain. One kind of chest wall pain is costochondritis. It causes pain and tenderness in and around the cartilage that connects your ribs to your breastbone (sternum).
3 more innocent causes of chest pain
- Momentary chest discomfort, often characterized as a lightning bolt or electrical shock. Heart discomfort or pain is unrelenting, typically for several minutes. Momentary chest discomfort is more likely to result from musculoskeletal injury or inflammation, or nerve pain (e.g., a cracked rib, a pulled muscle in the chest wall or shingles involving the chest.)
- Pinpoint chest discomfort that worsens with positional changes in breathing. Heart pain is usually diffuse, or radiating. Pinpoint discomfort that changes with breathing is more likely to involve the lungs (e.g., pleurisy, an inflammation of the lung membranes; pneumonia; or asthma).
- Chest discomfort that gets better with exercise. Heart-related pain typically worsens with exercise. Sharp chest pain that improves with movement is more likely to have other causes (e.g., acid reflux.)
