Why there is pain in the chest in men?

The appearance of chest pain in men indicates many diseases and this symptom often becomes a cause for concern. Sometimes such pains are not associated with life-threatening diseases, but more often, the occurrence of such feelings is an occasion for immediate treatment to a doctor or calling an ambulance team.

In this article, you will become acquainted with the typical causes of chest pain in men, their methods of diagnosis, treatment and first aid before contacting the doctor for life-threatening conditions. This information will help you make the right decision about the need for a complete diagnosis and receiving the doctor's advice on the treatment of a particular disease.

Possible causes of pain

There are many diseases, accompanied by the appearance of pain in the chest. They are associated with the defeat of various systems or organs. For an accurate determination of the root cause, it is necessary to examine the specialist and perform additional instrumental or laboratory methods of examination.

main causes of chest pain are:

• vascular disease and / or heart - myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, valvular heart disease, aortic dissection, pericarditis, hypertension, pulmonary embolism, etc.;
• pathology of the respiratory system - bronchial asthma, pleurisy, pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchitis, lung cancer, etc.;
• diseases of the digestive tract - diverkulit and other diseases of the esophagus, neoplasms of the digestive system, gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, cholangitis, cholecystitis, etc.;
• disease musculoskeletal - low back pain, hernia of the vertebral column, musculoskeletal torakalgii syndrome, myositis, spinal osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, bone or muscle injuries, sprains, etc.;
• pathology of the nervous system -. Neuritis, intercostal neuralgia, germinating in the nerves metastases, shingles, cardioneurosis, neuroses, cardiopsychoneurosis etc.

In more rare cases, the cause of pain in the chest area in men, but not in the chest, is the development ofGynecomastia or a cancerous tumor in the mammary gland. These diseases are accompanied by an increase in the level of female sex hormones and a decrease in male hormones. A similar hormonal imbalance is caused by the following reasons: genetic predisposition, age, obesity, bad habits, liver pathology, taking certain medications, radiotherapy courses, working in harmful industries, etc.

Possible causes of chest pains depending on their location

Set the exactThe cause of pain in the chest area can be a doctor-therapist, based on the data obtained during the interview and examination of the patient, and the results of diagnostic procedures. And in the place of localization of pain, one can only assume the presence of certain pathologies.

Pain in the left side of the chest

Such diseases progress rapidly and cause death of the patient. In such pathologies, pain is usually sharp, intense, burning, prolonged and accompanied by additional symptoms: dyspnea, tachy- or bradycardia, arrhythmia, fluctuations in blood pressure.

Pains in the left side of the chest can occur due to pathologies of other organs. The reason for their appearance can be dangerous or harmless. That is why when they occur, you should consult a doctor, without delaying the visit for later.

Pain in the central part of the chest

Pain in the center of the chest can be caused by cardiovascular pathologies, but they are often provoked by diseases of the digestive or respiratory system. Often such painful sensations arise in smokers and are written off to patients for the consequences of addiction. However, such pain can signal more dangerous health problems - lung cancer or mediastinum.

In addition, pain in the central part of the chest can be provoked by the appearance of thrombi and impaired patency of the arteries of the respiratory system. In such cases, painful sensations are supplemented with severe dyspnea and severe arterial hypotension. In response to the appearance of such symptoms, the patient may experience short-term episodes of impaired consciousness or fainting.

Often the cause of pain in the center of the chest and become pathologies of the digestive tract. Especially often this is manifested itself peptic ulcer, causing the emergence of pressing and intense pain in the solar plexus. The pain does not disappear when the position of the body changes, and with a significant exacerbation of this disease, due to its appearance, the patient is hampered by normal breathing. In addition, with a duodenal ulcer or stomach cancer, severe pain can occur if the food is ingested while it passes through the esophagus.

The appearance of acute pain in the center of the chest when eating food is noted for diseases of the esophagus or hernia located in the diaphragm of the food hole. In the latter case, they are related to the position of the body and make themselves felt only in the "sitting" or "lying" posture, and when completely disappeared. In the pathology of the esophagus, the onset of pain is usually always associated with eating food or liquids.

Pain in the right side of the chest

Pain in the right side of the chest can be caused by diseases of various organs. In this department of the thorax they are less likely to be provoked by the pathologies of the heart( for example, arise in abnormal flow of pain syndrome).As a rule, such pains are caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, respiratory or digestive system.

Pain after injury

The appearance of pain after a chest injury is accompanied by a number of characteristic features. They can occur in any part of the chest, intensify with inspiration, movement or palpation, are especially pronounced at the time of injury and grow for 4-5 days. To make an accurate diagnosis, the patient is assigned to perform X-rays.

The nature of pain in certain dangerous diseases

Painful sensations in the chest in severe and mild diseases can be caused by respiratory movements or strengthened with a change in body position. Such characteristics do not help to establish the alleged cause of their occurrence. The appearance of a brief pain( up to 5 seconds), as a rule, is not a sign of a dangerous ailment. And the painful sensations in severe chest diseases often resemble each other, but sometimes they can be differentiated:

• pressing and burning pain, giving to the scapula, neck, arm, shoulder - with myocardial infarction or acute ischemia;
• painful, piercing pain with recoil in the back - with aortic dissection;
• pressing pain arising after exercise and disappearing after a rest period - with angina pectoris;
• pain, aggravated by deep breathing, swallowing or coughing and in the "lying on the back" position - with pericarditis;
• pain accompanied by severe respiratory distress - with thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery or pneumonia;
• pain accompanied by cough, fever and chills - with pneumonia;
• burning pain, extending to the throat from the epigastric region, increasing when trying to lie down and eliminated by taking antacids - with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

When is it urgent to call an ambulance?

The appearance of pain in the chest, in some cases, should be the reason for an immediate call of the ambulance:

1. The pain is not eliminated at rest and lasts more than 15 minutes.
2. Pain in heart disease is not eliminated, even repeated Nitroglycerin.
3. Sensation of pressure and burning pain in the chest, giving in the arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, back. This condition is often accompanied by fear of death.
4. Sudden occurrence of pain and severe cough after physical exertion. Against the background of these symptoms, a syncope may occur.
5. Acute and intense pain in the chest in combination with intermittent breathing or coughing( sputum can be with blood).
6. Sensations of pressure and pain in the chest, accompanied by anxiety, tachycardia, sweating, shallow breathing, nausea or vomiting, dizziness.

Diagnosis of the causes of chest pain

To determine the exact cause of the onset of pain, you should consult a physician-therapist. After the survey and examination, the doctor will presume the development of a disease that provokes painful sensations, and will prescribe a number of necessary additional examinations.

When severe pains appear on the left, the doctor first and foremost eliminates the presence of life-threatening diseases:

• myocardial infarction - the pains are crushing and burning, are paroxysmal, can capture the whole thorax and irradiate in the arm, shoulder, neck, jaw or shoulder blade, notAre eliminated by the intake of nitro-containing drugs, accompanied by fear of death;
• atrial fibrillation or pulmonary embolism - intensive pain is supplemented with shortness of breath, lasts a long time( up to several hours), is eliminated only by narcotic analgesics;
• diseases of the respiratory system - pain is usually supplemented with a cough, with pleural damage increasing with inspiration;
• diseases of the digestive system - pain can be localized in different parts of the chest, often associated with eating;
• diseases of the musculoskeletal system - pain can be localized in different parts of the chest, usually worse with movement and probing;
• diseases of the nervous system - pain can be localized in different parts of the chest, the cause of their appearance are various factors( cold, infections, physical effects, nervous overexertion);
• breast diseases - pain localized in the mammary gland, accompanied by the appearance of its engorgement, compaction or the formation of a palpable tumor.

Depending on the clinical case, the patient with chest pain is assigned the following diagnostic methods:

• ECG;
• pulse oximetry;
• Echo-KG;
• ECG Holter;
• radiography of the chest, lungs, spinal column, etc.;
• ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• rheoencephalography;
• mammography;
• breast ultrasound;
• CT;
• MRI, etc.

What can and should be done with pain?

Treatment of diseases accompanied by pain in the chest, must be prescribed and controlled by a doctor. His tactics are determined by the diagnosis and results of the examinations. Sometimes, before the detection of the exact cause for the elimination of severe pain, the patient is recommended narcotic analgesics, and in case of suspected digestive diseases, the use of antacids.

If the most likely cause of intense, compressive and burning pains in the chest are cardiac pathologies, the patient needs first aid:

1. Call the ambulance. Be sure to inform the dispatcher that a possible cause of pain is a disease of the cardiovascular system.
2. Lay the patient, lifting the head end, or sit in a comfortable armchair with armrests.
3. Remove breathable clothing. Open the window. Apply a cold compress to the area of ​​the heart.
4. Limit maximum motor activity.
5. Calm the patient. Give him to take one of the sedatives: Valocardin, tincture of valerian, motherwort or other.
6. Give the patient the following drugs: Aspirin( 0, 25 g), Nitroglycerin( 1 tablet, under the tongue).Repeated intake of nitro-containing drug should be repeated after 5-7 minutes, and if necessary, give a third dose after 10 minutes. If after the first reception the patient has weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath and sweating, then repeated taking Nitroglycerin should not be done. In such cases, the patient must raise his legs and give him a glass of water.
7. To reduce pain, you can give a tablet of Analgin or an anti-inflammatory non-steroid agent( Paracetamol, Nurofen, etc.).
8. When respiratory and cardiac arrest, resuscitation should be performed: pericardial stroke in the sternum, and in the absence of effect, indirect heart massage and artificial respiration.

When injuring the chest, the victim should also be given first aid: give the body a comfortable semi-sitting position, put a tight bandage on the chest of bandages, towels or tissues, apply cold to the area of ​​the injury, give an anesthetic drug and, as carefully as possible( on stretchers!), DeliverIn a trauma station or hospital. If there is a suspicion of internal bleeding, the ambulance team should be called up.

Cardiologist Petrova Yu.

See the video about the cause and diagnosis of chest pain

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