Causes of Chest Pain
Written by: Marcos Otero, Retired Physician Associate
Chest pain can have many causes, including heart-related issues, muscle pain, and inflammation.
Heart-related causes
- Angina: This is the most common condition related to coronary artery disease, often presenting as chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Heart attack: A blockage in a coronary artery that reduces blood flow to the heart muscle
- Aortic aneurysm: A weakness in the aorta, the largest artery in the body, which can potentially burst. life-threatening.
- Pericarditis: Inflammation of the sac around the heart
- Aortic Dissection
- Mitral valve prolapse: A condition where the mitral valve leaflets flap backwards, causing blood to leak back into the left atrium.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Thickening of the heart muscle, which can obstruct blood flow.
Pulmonary
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
- Pulmonary hypertension
- COPD
- Pneumothorax
Gastro – Abdominal
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Gallstones
- Gastritis
- Pancreatitis
- Hepatitis
Infections
- Shingles
- Skin Infections
Injury
- Rib fracture
- Bruising
- Blunt Trauma
Anxiety
- Panic attack
Chest pain can be a sign of a serious condition and should never be ignored. If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 911 immediately.
