Burning Chest Pain

Burning chest pain not just gives us a lot of discomfort but we get panicked too. It can be experienced anywhere in the chest region. Sometimes, it may even get extended to other parts of the body, like the upper part of the abdomen, back or neck area. The exact origin of the burning chest pain is the internal organs located in the chest, like the heart, lungs, esophagus, muscles or tissues of the area. The intensity of the burning sensation of the chest pain varies from mild to severe depending upon the underlying causes.

Burning Chest Pain Causes

There are several conditions that gives burning pain in chest. For proper identification of its underlying cause, there are certain factors that have to be taken into account like location and characteristics of the pain and its accompanying symptoms. Some of the notable causes of burning chest pain are as follows:

Heart-Related Problems
Recurrent left sided burning chest pain on suggests that there could be heart problem like angina. This happens due to insufficient supply of blood and oxygen into the heart. The pain originates just behind the breast bone and get extended to left arm, shoulder and even jaw area. It is accompanied by tightness and squeezing sensation in the chest. Similar symptoms are observed in the condition of heart attack as well but here the pain is much more intense. An inflammation or infection in the double-layered membrane surrounding the heart is termed as pericarditis and it gives a piercing chest pain along with low-grade fever. It can be a symptom of another serious condition known as aortic dissection where tear in the aorta, the main arterial vessel of the heart.

Lungs Problems
Burning chest pain when coughing or taking deep breath is a common symptom of most lungs related problems. It could be due to infection in the lungs or pneumonia or pulmonary embolism caused by clotting of blood inside the lungs or pleurisy caused by swelling in the lining of the lungs. Such pain is felt during asthma attacks too but it has some additional symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing sound while breathing.

Digestive Problems
This kind of chest pain is often associated with a number of digestive disorders. The burning pain caused due to heartburn is experienced just below the breast bone. In case the burning sensation in chest is because of stomach ulcer, then the pain intensifies in empty stomach condition and is relieved as soon as you eat something. When the pain is caused due to some gallbladder problem or inflammation, then it gets worsened after eating meals particularly fatty meals.

Costochondritis
This occurs as a result of soreness and inflammation in the cartilage which is connecting the ribs and the chest bone and leads to the burning pain within the chest wall. As the pain is mostly felt on the left side of the chest, it is often mistaken as cardiac problem. The pain can be felt by touching the ribs and often get aggravated when there is some movements of the torso.

Other Causes
A rib fracture or any traumatic injury that affects the soft tissues of chest muscles, tendons or nerves causes burning chest pain. During panic attacks, many people complain about burning sensation in chest. Prior to the outbreak of skin rashes of shingles, a viral infection, one may get burning pain on the ribs.

Treatment for Burning Chest Pain

When you have a burning pain in chest, seek for medical to ascertain the exact cause behind it and let the doctor decide the next course of action. They conduct various laboratory tests such as blood test, ECG, x-rays and CT scan of the chest for proper diagnosis of the problem. Then the treatment varies according to the chest pain causes.

Angina patients are prescribed different types of medicines that can break down the blood clots, prevent formation of new blood clot and dilate the blood vessels. All these medicines helps to restore normal blood supply to the heart. A patient with heart attack symptoms is first rushed to the emergency room for preliminary treatment and save the life. Later on, the patient may have to undergo surgery. The pain and inflammation of pericarditis is controlled with the help of pain relieving medicines. Surgery is the most preferred option to rectify the problem of aortic dissection.

The chest pain with non-cardiac issues are usually treated with medicines only. Treatment for digestive problems involves use of antacids and stomach acid blocker. Some dietary changes are also recommended. A major gallbladder problem may require surgical removal of the organ. Otherwise, medicines are given that can dissolve the gallstones. In pulmonary embolism, anticoagulant medications are used for the prevention of new blood clots and if required, thrombolytics are given for faster dissolution of existing clots.

Pneumonia is treated with either antibiotics or antiviral medications. Its accompanying symptoms are treated with antipyretics and cough medicines. For a quick relief from asthma symptoms, bronchodilators are given to the patient. However, such patients have to continue to use corticosteroid inhalers to prevent future attacks.

Painful symptoms of costochondritis can be relieved with adequate amount of rest, heat application and anti-inflammatory medicines. Those who are suffering from emotional disorders are given anxiety medicines and are advised to learn relaxation techniques to control the frequency of panic attacks.

The moment you feel a burning chest pain, the first thing you should do is to sit down comfortably and breathe slowly. Relax, do not panic unnecessarily as it can worsen the situation further. If you find that the pain is getting aggravated with passage of time, visit your doctor immediately. In case it subsides after a few minutes, you should not ignore the problem. Consult your doctor to identify the trigger behind the chest pain.