Heart problems are very common symptoms and they come in different forms, which range from a gentle discomfort to a severe crushing tightness that makes you feel extremely uncomfortable. Reassuringly though, most chest symptoms are harmless and get better on their own.
Don't jump right to conclusions whenever you experience chest pain; one's heart is rarely to blame. This is a list of other underlying causes that may be at the bottom of the problem, starting with the most typical:
Chest wall pain: Injury or a persistent cough can lead to inflammation or a sprain of your chest muscles or ribs, along with a cracked rib could be the cause if you feel very tender to the touch over your chest. While you might be in pain, however, rib sprains and cracked ribs usually aren't dangerous, and heal by themselves. The pain sensation might take many weeks to subside, though.
See your doctor or go to your local Accident & Emergency (A&E) department if you have a serious chest injury, when your pain doesn't improve or gets worse, or whenever you are afflicted by additional symptoms such as having difficulty breathing.
Stomach problems: Heartburn, indigestion and reflux of contents of the stomach may lead to heart problems.
Chest infection: A productive cough - one in which you bring up yellow or green secretions - as well as temperature can indicate that you possess an infection of your lung (called pneumonia) or airways in the chest (referred to as bronchitis), which may be accompanied by heart problems. Chest infections could be dangerous when you're older or are afflicted by poor health. See your doctor for more assessment and treatment.
Shingles: A blistery rash appearing on one side of your chest a couple of days after the start of heart problems might point to that you're suffering from a viral infection of the nerves, called shingles, or herpes zoster. Your doctor may prescribe painkillers or antiviral preparations to hurry up your recovery.
Anxiety attacks: Suddenly feeling anxious, uneasy or frightened could be enough to bring on heart problems. When for no apparent reason your heart starts to race, you feel faint or else you can't catch your breath, your symptoms may be due to a panic attack. Speak to your doctor, who are able to exclude other potential causes and discuss what you can do during such attacks to help minimise the pain, as well as how you may be able to prevent them in the first instance.
Collapsed lung (pneumothorax): A lung may partly or fully collapse for no apparent reason or sometimes because of a serious chest injury. This condition is rare but tends to be more common in young and tall men, but you're also at increased risk if you suffer from chronic lung disease. A sudden breathlessness and chest pain that tends to be worse on breathing can indicate a collapsed lung. See your doctor for further assessment.
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