- Document type
- Clinical pathways
- Place
- South and West Hertfordshire
- Output type
- Clinical Pathways
- Pathway
- Chest Pain | SWH
Chest Pain
Most chest pain is not a sign of anything serious but get medical advice just in case. Get immediate medical help if you think you're having a heart attack.
Common causes of chest pain
Chest pain has many different causes. In most cases, chest pain is not caused by a heart problem.
Your symptoms might give you an idea of the cause. Do not self-diagnose – see a GP if you're worried.
Chest pain symptoms | Possible cause |
---|---|
Starts after eating, bringing up food or bitter tasting fluids, feeling full and bloated |
|
Starts after chest injury or chest exercise, may get worse when you breathe in, feels better when resting the muscle |
Chest sprain or strain |
An often sharp, continuous pain triggered by worries or a stressful situation, heartbeat gets faster, sweating, dizziness |
|
Gets worse when you breathe in, coughing up yellow or green mucus, high temperature |
|
Tingling feeling on skin, skin rash appears that turns into blisters |
Chest pain and heart problems
The most common heart problems that cause chest pain include:
- Pericarditis – which usually causes a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or lie down
- Angina or a heart attack – which have similar symptoms but a heart attack is life-threatening
- You're more likely to have heart problems if you're older or are at risk of coronary heart disease.
For example, you may be at risk of coronary heart disease if you:
- Smoke
- Are living with obesity
- Have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol
- Have a history of heart attacks or angina in family members under 60 years old
Please see pathway attached for further information.