Question

Name three differential diagnoses for this complaint.

Chest pain that awoke the patient from sleep. Describes the pain as mid-sternal “squeezing, and pressure” with “tightness” radiating to her back.

Answer 1

Chest pain is the discomfort in the cheat area like a dull ache, pressure, stabbing or burning pain which may or may not spread to other areas. Chest pain can be caused due to cardiac or non cardiac reasons.

1) heart attack

Heart attack also called myocardial infarction occurs when the heart muscles do not get enough oxygen and the muscles get injured or died. A sensation of pressure, tightness or squeezing at the centre of the chest is an alarming sign of heart attack. The pain can radiate from the chest to back, arm or neck. Sweating, shortness of breath are the other common symptoms of heart attack.

2)Gastroesophagial reflux disease / heart burn

Heart burn occurs due to the acid reflux, where stomach acid leak into the oesophagus causing irritaion to chest.

Mostly noncardiac chest pain do not spread to other areas it remain in centre area, but rarely it can radiate to back of breastbone or sternum.

3)Angina pectoris :( variant angina)

Angina shows symptoms like feeling of tightness or heaviness in the chest. The pain may extend to arm, neck, back jaw. Angina is a type of chest pain which occur when the heart does not get enought oxygenated blood.