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Chest pain that comes and goes is common among people. Although it sounds common, it must not be ignored. There can be various reasons behind chest tightness. One may experience it during the night while lying down, while waking up from the bed, or when extraction of muscles. While some people can have a serious underlying health condition behind it, usually chest pain is not a life-threatening condition. Whatever it is, it can only be confirmed after consulting your doctor. This article will give you a detailed insight into the known causes of chest pain and what you can do about it. Keep reading.
What Happens during Chest Pain?
Chest pain symptoms can vary from one person to another. Some of the common signs of chest pain can be:
- Chest tightness
- Fullness of chest
- Chest burning sensations
- Crushing pain in the chest that may spread to the neck or arms
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Fast heartbeats
- Cold sweats
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Sour taste in the mouth
- Pain that gets worse with deep breaths or changing of body position
- Pain in swallowing
These are some of the common causes. One may experience some other symptoms as well. If the condition becomes worse or continues for hours or weeks, seeing a doctor is important.
What may Cause Sudden Chest Pain?
The exact cause behind the chest pain that comes and goes or the one that stays for longer can only be known when you go for a medical diagnosis. However, here are some of the commonly known causes of chest pain:
1. Heart Problems: Chest pain may directly point towards certain heart problems. Some of the heart problems associated with chest pain are:
- Heart attack: During a heart attack, the oxygen-rich blood supply to the artery is blocked. During a heart attack, one may experience a mild to severe heart attack.
- Angina: Angina is caused when the plaque settles in your blood vessels, which hinders blood flow. Due to this condition, one may experience chest pain.
2. Digestion Problems: Due to various digestion problems, gastric pain in chest can occur. Here are some of the reasons:
- Acid Reflux: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or acid reflux can cause heartburn and chest pain. It occurs when the acid from the stomach refluxes back to the food pipe and thus gastric pain in chest.
- Gallstones or Pancreatitis: If your gall bladder develops gallstones or if there is inflammation of the pancreas, it may cause stomach and abdominal pain. The pain may spread to the chest, causing pain and discomfort.
3. Respiratory Problems: An underlying respiratory condition may also cause chest tightness or pain. These may include:
- Pleurisy: People may complain of chest pain while coughing. This usually happens due to pleurisy. It is a condition in which the pleura (membrane lining the outer of the lungs and chest cavity) gets inflamed.
- Pulmonary Embolism: In pulmonary embolism, one of the arteries of the lungs gets blocked due to a blood clot, thus leading to chest tightness and stiffness.
- Pulmonary Hypertension: Hypertension refers to high blood pressure. When the artery leading to the lungs suffers hypertension, it is known as pulmonary hypertension. Such a condition may cause severe chest tightness.
4. Others: Apart from the aforementioned health conditions, there may be various other reasons for chest pain as well. These may include:
- Lung Problems: Other lung problems like lung cancer or lung collapse may also lead to pain, especially right side chest pain. Getting medical attention is the best solution
- Costochondritis: Costochondritis is a condition in which the cartilage of the rib cage gets inflamed. It may cause chest pain similar to that of a heart attack.
- Panic Attack: Panic attacks are often neglected. However, if the condition keeps reoccurring, you must visit a doctor without any delay. Panic attacks may cause discomfort in the chest, problems in breathing, and also mild to severe chest pain.
- Injury: An injury around the chest muscles can also lead to chest pain. Your doctor may recommend an X-ray to detect the severity of the condition.
What to do During Sudden Chest Pain?
Chest pain left side, on the right side, or in the middle can indicate a short-lived or serious problem. In order to get immediate relaxation at home, you can try a few things, like:
- Lie down with your head up. Let yourself relax. If pain is occurring due to angina, it may go away for a while after relaxing
- You may take an adult aspirin in case of serious chest pain. However, make sure to visit your doctor immediately.
When to See a Doctor?
It is always better to be safe than to be sorry! You may wonder when you should see a doctor for chest pain. You must not avoid any signs or symptoms of heart problems. Different people may experience different symptoms so neglecting it is not good.
Usually, stomach problems or indigestion due to excessive acidity can cause heartburn or chest pain. However, if you experience unexplained chest pain or discomfort around the chest, you need to see your doctor immediately. Delaying the condition may only make it worse in case of any serious underlying health condition.
Don’t Avoid!
Chest pain that comes and goes, be it mild or severe, is not a matter to be ignored. An underlying cardiovascular disease or respiratory problem may be triggering chest pain, which is only possible to be diagnosed with the help of medical attention. Reach your doctor in such a condition. Self-diagnosis may sometimes worsen the situation. Along with all of this, it is also essential to follow a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy, getting ample regular exercise, drinking enough water, losing excessive weight, and managing stress are some of the common advice that your doctor may give you.
Sometimes, one may require hospitalisation care for chest pain leading to other severe health problems. In such a situation, when you have a health insurance plan, you need not worry about the medical expenses. At Care Health Insurance, we cater to a range of comprehensive health insurance plans to fit into your needs. You can write down your insurance requirement and our experts will connect with you without a delay.
Stay Healthy and secured with Care Health Insurance!
>> Read more: Cervical Pain: Causes and Symptoms
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