Joint project with

Reading time: 2 min

Chest pain is discomfort or pain originating in the thorax, the part of the trunk between the neck and the diaphragm. It is a common reason for visiting emergencies services and does not generally tend to be very serious. However, in some cases it can be the main symptom of heart disease. Call emergency services immediately in the case of relatively intense, oppressive chest pain accompanied by sweating or dizziness.

Most people who come to see us due to chest pain - which is a common reason to come in - don’t have anything serious wrong with them, but chest pain can be a sign of serious cardiovascular illness.

Beatriz López Emergency physician

Chest pain is defined as the presence of abnormal pain or discomfort in the chest, between the diaphragm and the base of the neck. It is one of the most frequent reasons for consulting in the Emergency Department, representing from 5-20% of medical emergency consultations. It generally originates in one of the organs of the chest cavity (heart, lung, or oesophagus), or in any of the components of the chest wall (skin, muscles, bones). Occasionally, organs near the chest, such as the gallbladder or the stomach, can cause chest pain.

Its importance lies in that many diseases can present as chest pain, the majority of which have no significance, but others are potentially serious and can be life-threatening.

In this sense, the emergency professionals must rapidly identify those serious illnesses in order to act as soon as possible.

Among all these, are highlighted, by their higher frequency, the heart diseases, and in particular, the one called acute coronary syndrome, among which is found acute myocardial infarction, in which the chest pain occurs as a result of an obstruction of the arteries of the heart, or the coronary arteries.