Causes of Chest Pain - Reasons for Left and Right Sided Chest Pain

The first thing that comes to our mind when we refer to chest pain, is the fear of an heart attack. However, it is not essential that all types of chest pain are related to heart health. Chest pain can be caused due to non-cardiac problems as well. Sometimes, the pain may not serious and only causes mild inconvenience. However, there are times when chest pain can be an indication of threat to life. Many a times, abdomen pain is mistaken with chest pain. Chest pain due to muscle catch is quite a common occurrence. Suppose, while at a high speed you stop suddenly, you can get a twitch in the muscles of the chest wall. This can result in severe chest pain. Muscle catch can be due to fast breathing or abnormal posture as well.

Causes of Left Sided Chest Pain

Since our heart is located at the left side of the chest, left sided chest pain causes people to panic as heart attack is often thought to be the prime cause of left sided chest pain. It is not so every time. Even minor problems like acid reflux, heartburn or gas can lead to left sided chest pain. The gas formation in the intestines and stomach give an upward thrust on the chest wall that can give rise to a condition of breathlessness or tightness or pain in the chest, which is similar to cardiac pain.

Whenever, there is some mental stress or physical exertion, the heart needs more blood to sustain the heart beat. In case of any blockage in the artery, sufficient amount of oxygen fails to reach the heart and this causes acute pain. This kind of pain is due to heart attack. This pain is usually not confined to only to the chest, but gets extended to the shoulder, the throat and sometimes the jaw. It is accompanied by other symptoms like palpitation, excessive sweating, vomiting or paleness of skin.

Causes of Right Sided Chest Pain

Right sided chest pain is unlikely to be a result of any problem related to the heart. Some of the causes of right sided chest pain can still be dangerous to the health; while others are not serious conditions. The serious causes behind right sided chest pain are: right sided chest pain due to pneumonia, gall bladder diseases or liver inflammation. If there is right sided chest pain, the first thing that needs to be identified is whether the pain is oriented locally or centrally. In some cases, it has been observed that when the gas problems turn severe, an acute pain is experienced by the patient. In these cases, the patient fails to determine whether the origin of the pain is the chest or the abdomen.

The most commonly observed cause of right sided chest pain is gallstones. Gallstones are formed due to crystallization of bile and cholesterol in the gallbladder, which leads to an inflammation of the gallbladder. This type of pain is severe and constant. Right sided chest pain could be the symptom of some liver diseases like hepatitis as well. Though it is not a very common symptom, in certain cases, it has been noticed that prior to the diagnosis of hepatitis, patients have complained of right sided chest pain.

The root cause of left or right sided chest pain needs to be established, before starting of any treatment. Thus, anyone suffering from chest pain should consult the doctor without any delay. In case of any kind of chest pain, electrocardiogram and chest radiograph may be suggested to detect any heart problems. If required, an ultrasound is conducted to detect gallstones and blood test for hepatitis.