Chest pain update: Retrosternal chest pain, chest pain that comes and goes, anxiety chest pain

Chest pain is experienced by nearly six million people in the U.S. every year. It is the feeling of a sharp, discomforting agony whose cause isn’t clear at the get-go. We at Bel Marra feel that our readers should be more knowledgeable about different types of chest pain, so we have compiled a list of articles to help you get a head start. You will find information on retrosternal chest pain, the causes chest pain that comes and goes, and anxiety chest pain.

What causes retrosternal chest pain?

Retrosternal chest pain is pain felt behind the sternum bone—a flat bone located in the middle of the chest. This bone may also be referred to as the breastbone. Due to the relative location of retrosternal pain, it is often confused with various cardiac conditions that can induce unnecessary anxiety in suffers.

However, due to the nature of the pain and its presenting symptoms, those who experience retrosternal pain will often be worked up to rule out any potential cardiogenetic cause.

It is estimated that 44.9 percent of people visiting the emergency room for chest pain have acute coronary syndrome, a common cause of chest pain. Continue reading…

High sensitivity test leads to lower incidence of cardiovascular events in chest pain patients

Chest pain can be caused by a variety of things. It could be due to a relatively benign condition such as acid reflux, or it could be due to more concerning heart problems.

Because doctors and medical professionals are unable to look beneath the skin on first presentation, they often have to make a judgment call. They need to guess whether your chest pain is due to a potentially fatal heart condition. Continue reading…

Chest pain that comes and goes for days

Experiencing any sort of chest pain can be worrisome, and this is especially true of chest pain that comes and goes. You may think it was just a passing discomfort that has been resolved, but the pain returns and reignites your worry that something could be seriously wrong.

What causes chest pain that comes and goes, and how is it different than heart pain? Continue reading to learn the answers to these questions and to discover some tips for preventing this intermittent chest pain. Continue reading…

Frequent chest pain common in depressed patients even in the absence of coronary artery disease

Frequent chest pain is common in depressed patients even in the absence of coronary artery disease. Lead researcher Dr. Salim Hayek explained, “Depression is a common and well-recognized risk factor for the development of heart disease. Patients with known heart disease and depression tend to experience chest pain more frequently. However, until now, it was not known whether that association was dependent on underlying coronary artery disease.”

The study looked at the association between depression and chest pain independent of an underlying coronary artery disease. The study looked at the data for 5,825 participants who completed a questionnaire and underwent a cardiac catheterization. Continue reading…

How to get rid of anxiety chest pain

Anxiety can take many forms, with anxiety chest pain being one of the most common symptoms. An anxiety attack is an unpleasant state of inner mayhem and stress that is often accompanied by panicky behavior. Often times, you feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest, and chest pain is not far behind.

Chest pain anxiety can be quite frightening, as it can be easily confused with more worrying problems of the heart, further adding to your anxiety. Feelings of worry, fear, and nervousness all become heightened when we believe that severe problems with the heart could lead to our death. Thankfully, chest pain due to anxiety attacks is unrelated to the heart. Continue reading…