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Symptoms of Chest pain



Symptoms of Chest pain

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Chest pain includes the 4 symptoms listed below:

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Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Chest pain:

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Do I have Chest pain?

Chest pain: Medical Mistakes

Chest pain: Undiagnosed Conditions

Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Chest pain:

Wrongly Diagnosed with Chest pain?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Chest pain includes:

See the full list of 27 alternative diagnoses for Chest pain

Chest pain: Research Doctors & Specialists

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Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

Medical Books Online about Chest pain

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Chest pain are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Chest pain.

Medical Books Excerpts
  • "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
  • "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms" (2004)
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms" (2004)
  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
  • "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis" (1999)
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)" (2005)
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
  • "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
  • "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis" (2007)
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis" (2007)
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis" (2007)
  • "Handbook of Diseases" (2003)
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
  • "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
  • "Avoiding Common Pediatric Errors" (2008)
  • "The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult" (2008)

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Chest pain: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Chest pain.


Myocardial infarction: Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Crushing substernal pain radiating to left arm, shoulder blades, and neck; feeling of impending doom; nausea; shortness of breath; sweating; ST-segment changes on electrocardiogram; elevated serum CK-MB and troponin-I levels

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Myocardial infarction: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The cardinal symptom of an MI is persistent, crushing substernal pain that may radiate to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulder blades. Such pain is typically described as heavy, squeezing, or crushing and may persist for 12 hours or more. However, in some MI patients — particularly older adults or diabetics — pain may not occur at all; in others, it may be mild and confused with indigestion.

In patients with coronary artery disease, angina of increasing frequency, severity, or duration (especially if not provoked by exertion, a heavy meal, or cold and wind) may signal impending infarction.

Other features

Other signs and symptoms include a feeling of impending doom, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Some patients may have no symptoms. The patient may experience catecholamine responses, such as coolness in the extremities, perspiration, anxiety, and restlessness. Fever is unusual at the onset of an MI, but a low-grade fever may develop during the next few days. Blood pressure varies; hypotension or hypertension may be present.

Complications

The most common post-MI complications include recurrent or persistent chest pain, arrhythmias, left ventricular failure (resulting in heart failure or acute pulmonary edema), and cardiogenic shock. Unusual but potentially lethal complications that may develop soon after infarction include thromboembolism; papillary muscle dysfunction or rupture, causing mitral insufficiency; rupture of the ventricular septum, causing ventricular septal defect; rupture of the myocardium; and ventricular aneurysm.

Up to several months after infarction, Dressler’s syndrome may develop (pericarditis, pericardial friction rub, chest pain, fever, leukocytosis and, possibly, pleurisy or pneumonitis). (See Complications of myocardial infarction.)

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-1: 17-Year-Old Boy: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

SLE has a quite variable presentation, and children often have more severe presentations than adults do. The most common presenting signs and symptoms are fever, arthralgias or arthritis, rashes, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, malaise, and weight loss. However, almost all organ systems have the potential for involvement.
Constitutional symptoms are common at diagnosis and with disease flares. Cutaneous findings may include the classic butterfly rash, discoid rash, or even mucosal ulcerations. Arthralgias and arthritis, as well as aseptic necrosis of the femoral head, may occur. Classic cardiac findings can include pericarditis, pericardial effusions, myocarditis, and Libman-Sacks endocarditis. Pulmonary manifestations occur in approximately 50% of patients. Both pleural and parenchymal involvement can occur, with pleuritis and pneumonitis most often seen. Neurologic findings include seizures, psychosis, cerebrovascular accidents, peripheral neuropathies, and pseudotumor cerebri. Ocular findings includes papilledema and retinopathy. From a hematologic standpoint, patients with SLE are at a higher risk for development of the anti-phospholipid syndrome, placing them at high risk for thromboembolic events. Finally, renal disease is also common, with the development of glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and hypertension. These renal manifestations are probably the major prognostic factor in patients with SLE.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-2: 15-Year-Old Boy: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

The presentation of pericarditis varies depending on the cause. The pain associated with pericarditis is often retrosternal, radiating to the shoulder and neck. The pain is typically worsened by deep breathing, swallowing, and supine positioning. Tuberculous pericarditis can have both acute and insidious presentations. The most common symptoms are cough, dyspnea, and chest pain. Other associated symptoms include night sweats, orthopnea, weight loss, and edema. Physical examination may reveal fever, tachycardia, and pericardial rub. Pulsus paradoxus, hepatomegaly, pleural effusions, and muffled heart sounds are often associated with the condition.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-3: 20-Year-Old Boy: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

Newborns and infants with myocarditis may present with decreased appetite, fever, irritability, and diaphoresis. Sudden death occurs rarely in this age group. Infants with congestive heart failure may not have signs of jugular venous distention and rales on pulmonary examination.
Older children and adolescents typically provide a history of recent viral illness (approximately 2 weeks earlier). Similar to infants, these children exhibit lethargy, fever, and pallor. Diaphoresis, palpitations, rashes, and decreased exercise tolerance may also be present. Occasionally, they complain of abdominal pain. As the disease progresses, respiratory distress may become more prominent. With the development of congestive heart failure, the child may develop jugular venous distention and rales on examination. It is not uncommon for arrhythmias to develop, including supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-4: 17-Year-Old Boy: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax usually develops while the patient is at rest. Patients describe pleuritic ipsilateral chest pain and dyspnea. With a small pneumothorax, the physical examination may be completely normal. Tachycardia may be noted. In patients with a large pneumothorax, there may be poor chest wall movement, a hyperresonant chest, and decreased breath sounds on the side with the pneumothorax. Tachycardia and hypotension indicate that the patient has developed tension physiology and requires emergency intervention.
With a large pneumothorax, the patient develops decreased vital capacity and an increased alveolar –arterial oxygen gradient. In patients with primary spontaneous pneumothoraces, the underlying lung function is normal; therefore, they do not develop hypercapnia. In contrast, patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces by definition have underlying lung disease and often develop hypercapnia.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-5: 3-Year-Old Girl: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

Typically, viral pneumonia commences with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, fever, rhinorrhea, and cough. Respiratory symptoms may be insidious. This is in contrast to most bacterial pneumonias, where there is often an acute onset with fever, cough, and chest pain.
On physical examination, patients may have signs suggestive of consolidation (dullness to percussion, bronchial breath sounds, and egophony). This is more suggestive of a bacterial process. In contrast, patients with Mycoplasma or viral infections may have unimpressive physical examination findings but very distinct infiltrates noted on their chest roentgenograms. Furthermore, patients with Mycoplasma infection may have a concurrent bullous myringitis.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain - Case 14-6: 15-Year-Old Boy: IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)

Patients with a dilated cardiomyopathy most often have an insidious onset to their symptoms. The most common complaints in adolescents are shortness of breath and poor exercise tolerance, which are the result of decreased cardiac output and pulmonary edema. Because infants are not able to complain of these same symptoms, their presentation often includes more subtle symptoms, such as tachypnea, irritability, and difficulty with feeding.
Patients often are tachycardiac, tachypneic, and nervous. Hypotension may be seen with poor cardiac output, and fever may indicate an infection that has brought the patient to medical attention. Quite often, patients have orthopnea, preferring to remain in the upright position. With pulmonary edema, many patients wheeze but are unresponsive to traditional asthma therapies.
On chest wall palpation, there may be a laterally displaced point of maximal impulse. With auscultation of the cardiac sounds, a prominent pulmonic segment of the S2 or a gallop, or both, may be appreciated. Many patients with congestive heart failure have a liver edge that is abnormally below the right costal margin.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003

Chest Pain: Chest Pain - signs & symptoms
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)

Hints for screening problem: Take a thorough history and perform a careful physical exam. Examine the chest last—do not focus only on this area. Use laboratory tests sparingly, only to confirm clinical suspicions.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008

Chest pain as a symptom:

For a more detailed analysis of Chest pain as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Chest pain.

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Chest pain:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Chest pain. This signs and symptoms information for Chest pain has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Chest pain signs or Chest pain symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Chest pain may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Chest pain symptoms.


 » Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Chest pain

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