CHEST PAIN - SOME AWARENESS POINTS

Chest pain and heart attack

Chest discomfort or pain is a key warning symptom of a heart attack. Heart
attack symptoms include:

Chest discomfort or pain that is crushing or squeezing or feels like a heavy
weight on the chest.
Chest discomfort or pain that occurs with:
Sweating.
Shortness of breath.
Nausea or vomiting.

Pain that spreads from the chest to the back, neck, jaw, upper belly, or one
or both shoulders or arms. The left shoulder and arm are more commonly
affected. Dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling like you are going to
faint.
A fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat.
If you have any of these symptoms of a heart attack, call emergency services
immediately. Since most of the damage to the heart muscle during a heart
attack occurs in the first 6 hours, emergency treatment may prevent damage
to the heart muscle and death. Some people, especially those who are elderly
or have diabetes, may not have typical chest pain but may have many of the
other symptoms of a heart attack. Women are more likely than men to have
neck and shoulder pain along with other symptoms.

Chest discomfort or pain that comes on or gets worse with exercise, stress,
or eating a large meal and goes away with rest may be a warning symptom of
heart disease.

Other causes of chest discomfort or pain

Most people fear that chest pain always means something is wrong with the
heart. This is not the case. Chest discomfort or pain, especially in people
who are younger than age 40, can have many causes.

Pain in the muscles or bones of the chest often occurs when you increase
your activities or add exercise to your schedule. This is sometimes called
chest wall pain.
Burning chest pain that occurs when you cough may be caused by an upper
respiratory infection caused by a virus.
Burning chest or rib pain, especially just before a rash appears, may be
caused by shingles.
A broken rib can be quite painful, especially when you cough or try to take
a deep breath.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause pain just below the
breastbone. Many people will say they have "heartburn." This pain is usually
relieved by taking an antacid or eating.

Other, more serious problems that can cause chest pain include:

A collapsed lung (pneumothorax), which usually causes a sharp, stabbing
chest pain and occurs with shortness of breath.
A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism), which usually causes deep
chest pain with the rapid development of extreme shortness of breath.
Lung cancer, which may cause chest pain, especially if the cancer cells
spread to involve the ribs.
Diseases of the spine, which can cause chest pain if the nerves in the spine
are "pinched."

Emergencies

Do you have any of the following symptoms that require emergency treatment?
Call emergency services immediately.

Chest discomfort or pain is crushing or squeezing, feels like a heavy weight
on the chest, or is occurring with any of the following symptoms:
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Pain that spreads from the chest to the back, neck, jaw, upper belly, or one
or both shoulders or arms
Dizziness or feeling like you are going to faint (lightheadedness)
A fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat
Shock
Moderate to severe difficulty breathing or severe shortness of breath
Severe fatigue with any other symptoms of a heart attack
Angina that has been diagnosed by your doctor but has not gone away after
using your home treatment plan

If the person is awake, alert, not vomiting, and not allergic to aspirin,
have the person chew and swallow one adult-strength (325 mg) or 2 to 4
low-dose (81 mg) aspirin before emergency medical personnel such as
paramedics arrive. Be sure to tell emergency personnel that aspirin has been
taken.
Remember it is important to have the person taken to the hospital by
emergency personnel because his or her condition may get worse on the way.