Chest Pain When Breathing Deeply

Chest pain is one of the most common complaints that patients present with to a doctor. This chest pain may differ in nature depending on the underlying cause. Sometimes, this pain may be seen due to an infection of the heart or lungs or at times it may also be secondary to a systemic infection. Chest pain when breathing is especially a common symptom that many elderly patients present with. This can also have many varied underlying causes.

Causes and Cures for Chest Pain

Rib Pain: One of the most common pain that is associated with chest pain when a person is breathing in deeply is rib pain. Often, when a person has a broken rib it leads to cracked rib symptoms, which include pain on inhalation and slight bruising or protrusion in the region of the chest. This usually occurs when a person suffers fall or undergoes any kind of trauma in the chest region. For this purpose, the person can try out some cracked rib pain relief measures.

Inflammatory Diseases: Inflammatory conditions can also lead to chest pain when breathing in. If a person suffers from an inflammation of the lining of the heart, which is known as pericarditis, it leads to left chest pain when breathing deeply. Also, if a person has inflammation of the chest wall, it can lead to chest pain when breathing in. This condition also often happens because of trauma and infection of the ribs. This can be dealt with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Pneumonia: Another common cause is pneumonia. This is a very serious disease that affects the parenchymatous tissue of the lungs. Besides chest pain, the other symptoms of pneumonia include high fever, shaking and chills, productive cough, severe shortness of breath, sweating, etc. The person will need to take a strong dose of antibiotics to treat pneumonia under medical supervision.

Pulmonary Embolism: Pulmonary embolism is an emergency condition wherein a blood clot gets lodged in the pulmonary artery. This leads to severe insufficiency of oxygen and thus, sharp chest pain when breathing. This is an emergency condition that needs to be dealt with on a priority basis because if the block enlarges, then it can directly cut off the blood supply to the lungs, leading to their collapse and eventual death of the individual.

Pneumothorax: Another common cause is pneumothorax. This is a condition where gas or air gets collected in the pleural cavity between the lungs and the chest. Sometimes, there may also be spontaneous pneumothorax, which is seen in people that have a chronic lung infection or even sometimes, when there is no other health problem. However, this may also occur after physical trauma to the chest or as a complication of some medical treatment. Although in minor cases of pneumothorax there is no need for any active treatment, however, in severe cases of pneumothorax, it will need aspiration with the help of a syringe.

Acid Reflux Disease: One more common cause is acid reflux disease. Also known as heartburn, in this condition, there is regurgitation of the stomach acids up the esophagus. This leads to a severe burning sensation in the region of the chest.

This was all about the various causes of chest pain, including the treatment options for dealing with it. This is a grave symptom that needs to be taken seriously because it could be an indicator towards a serious underlying disease or disorder.