What is chest pain?

4 May 2021

Also known as thoracic pain, it is a medium to high discomfort that frequently radiates to the neck, abdomen, arms, back, or jaw, and that can be due to a wide variety of cardiac, digestive, muscular, nervous, respiratory, or osteoarticular diseases.

Chest pain is related to the affected organ that causes it, producing various sensations that can range from oppression, burning, or stinging, to paralyzing pain, which is often not related to the heart but requires immediate medical assessment. Chest pain is usually linked to the following:

Swallowing problems.
Pain that improves or worsens depending on body position.
Constant pain for several hours.
Discomfort that intensifies when you take a deep breath or cough.
Sensitivity when pressing the chest.
Bitter taste in the mouth.

Signs and symptoms Chest pain

Symptoms are related to the affected organ that causes the pain.

Heart:

Tiredness and weakness.
Dizziness.
Nausea.
Vomit.
Trouble breathing.
Cold sweat
Burning or tightness in the chest.
Pain that radiates to the arms, back, neck, jaw, and shoulders.
Discomfort that intensifies with physical activity, disappears, and comes back with different intensity.

Causes:

Heart attack.
Aortic dissection.
Pericarditis.
Angina.

Stomach:

Burning behind the breastbone that can reach the throat.
Abdominal pain radiating to the chest.
Swallowing problems.

Causes:

Gastroesophageal reflux.
Hiatal hernia
Gallbladder or pancreas dysfunction.

Lungs

Pain that is reflected in the sides and intensifies when breathing or coughing.

Causes:

Collapsed lung.
Lung clot.
Pleuritis.
Pulmonary hypertension.

Chest pain can also be related to fibromyalgia, rib injuries, panic attacks, and shingles. If you have any of these symptoms, go to your doctor immediately because your life may be at risk, since it is essential to identify what is causing your chest pain and treat it in time.

Diagnosis and treatment Chest pain

Once your doctor reviews your symptoms and medical history, they will perform a physical examination and order blood and other tests such as an EKG, chest X-ray, endoscopy, and CT scan, among others.

The treatment will be focused on addressing the cause of your chest pain, which can be based on the intake of various medications, up to surgery, depending on the severity of the condition.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments Chest pain

Fuentes:

mayoclinic.org
medlineplus.gov
semes.es
cun.es
msdmanuals.com
medigraphic.com
López-Velarde BP, Solana LG, Zajarías KA, et al. Origen y evolución de la cardiología en el Centro Médico ABC. An Med Asoc Med Hosp ABC. 2019;64(1):68-73.
Vera RDA. Conocimientos sobre el diagnóstico del dolor torácico agudo: una necesidad en los internos de Medicina. Edu Me Centro. 2020;12(2):49-58.
Perdomo MR, Cruz CY, López SY, et al. Orientación diagnóstica del dolor torácico en el niño. Rev Cubana Pediatr. 2016;88(3):281-291.
Martínez GG, Ravelo DR, Valdés CE, et al. Dolor torácico y paraplejía como forma de presentación de disección aórtica: a propósito de un caso. CorSalud. 2016;8(2):127-131.

How can we help you?

The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.

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Comparison of COVID-19 vaccines

Pfizer-
BioNTech

Pfizer-BioNTech

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 95% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

No Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 16 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, malaise, and swollen lymph nodes.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 14 days of having the complete scheme (after the administration of the 2nd dose), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

Moderna

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 94.5% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 28 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 18 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes in the arm in which you received the injection.

Janssen/
Johnson
& Johnson

Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 72.0% in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.
85% in the prevention of severe COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives./strong>

How many doses are needed?
Only one dose in needed.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 28 days of having the complete scheme (the last dose applied), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from 85% serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

AstraZeneca
and
Oxford
University

AstraZeneca and Oxford University

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 82% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 56 days apart (or up to 84 days apart, if necessary).

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and fever, which were mild to moderate in intensity and disappeared within 48 hours of vaccination.

Sputnik V

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 92% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

What is chest pain?

Signs and symptoms Chest pain

Diagnosis and treatment Chest pain

Related centers and departments Chest pain

Fuentes:

Index

Specialist in Chest pain