What do chest pains feel like

Accessed Sept. McConaghy JR. Outpatient evaluation of the adult with chest pain. Rushton S, et al. Chest pain: If it is not the heart, what is it?

The Nursing Clinics of North America. What is a heart attack? American Heart Association. McKean SC, et al. In: Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Aortic dissection. Society for Vascular Surgery. Pulmonary hypertension — High blood pressure in the heart-to-lung system.

Hollander JE, et al. Evaluation of the adult with chest pain in the emergency department. Lopez-Jimenez F expert opinion. Seek emergency treatment immediately if you think you may be having a heart attack and especially if your chest pain is new, unexplained, or lasts more than a few moments. Your doctor will ask you some questions, and your answers can help them diagnose the cause of your chest pain. Be prepared to discuss any related symptoms and to share information about any medications, treatments, or other medical conditions you may have.

Your doctor may order tests to help diagnose or eliminate heart-related problems as a cause of your chest pain. These may include:. If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

Your doctor might treat chest pain with medication, noninvasive procedures, surgery, or a combination of these methods. Treatment depends on the cause and severity of your chest pain. Shop for antacids. Your doctor can treat and resolve chest pain caused by many common conditions. These may include acid reflux , anxiety attacks , and asthma or related disorders. However, chest pain can also be a symptom of a life-threatening condition.

Seek immediate medical treatment if you think you may be experiencing a heart attack or another heart problem. This can save your life. Once your doctor makes a diagnosis, they can recommend additional treatments to help you manage your condition. It can be frightening to have chest pain that comes and goes. If your chest pain is accompanied by pain in your arm, shortness of breath, sweating…. Chest pain in children can be caused by many conditions.

This pain is rarely caused by problems with the heart. It may be due to conditions of the…. This type of chest pain is typically not a heart attack. There can be many other causes, such as heartburn, lung infection, and others. It will whisk you to the hospital in a vehicle full of equipment that can start the diagnosis and keep you stable if your heart really is in trouble.

Pain from a heart attack isn't confined to the area around the heart. The most typical locations are marked in dark red; light red shows other possible areas. What if it isn't a heart attack? You will be evaluated as if you are having one and, when it is ruled out as the cause of your symptoms, your doctors will look for the actual cause.

They won't be mad at you for crying wolf. Instead, they should congratulate you for taking action if they don't, we will and work with you to get at the root of your chest pain and ease it.

If the cause was indigestion, a panic attack, or another possibly recurring condition, the emergency department doctors and your primary care physician can help you interpret what your body is telling you. Chest pain is serious business. If you think yours might be due to a heart attack, take action right away. The sooner you are checked out, the sooner you can get the kind of artery-opening therapy that can protect your heart from permanent damage. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

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