Chest Pain

The symptoms will depend on what’s causing your chest pain. If it’s linked to your heart, you may experience:

• pain in your chest that feels like pressure, squeezing, aching, tightness, crushing, fullness, or tearing

• pain that spreads to your arm(s), neck, shoulder, back, stomach, or jaw

• breathlessness

• fatigue

• sweating

• nausea

• indigestion or heartburn

• lightheadedness 

It’s difficult to identify the cause of your chest pain from your symptoms alone, which is why seeing a consultant for a diagnosis is important. However, it’s less likely to be heart-related if you also have trouble swallowing, your chest feels tender when pushed, or you have a sour taste in your mouth.

As well as heart conditions, chest pain can be caused by lung, digestive, muscle, bone, and other issues.

Heart problems that cause chest pain include:

Angina

Angina is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. It’s a symptom of coronary heart disease and is considered serious because if it’s not treated, it can lead to a heart attack. It’s more likely to affect you if you smoke, are obese, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or a history of heart attacks or angina in family members under 60.

Pericarditis

Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac around your heart. It usually causes a sudden, sharp stabbing pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or lie down. It can affect you at any age and is less serious than angina. Your risk is higher if you’ve had a heart attack, open heart surgery, or radiation therapy.

Heart attack

A heart attack occurs when there’s a lack of blood flow to your heart. The pain may feel like squeezing, pressure, heaviness, or tightness. If you’re having a heart attack, you need immediate emergency treatment. Men over 45 and women over 55 are more at risk of a heart attack. Other risk factors include smoking, obesity, stress, illegal drug use, a history of preeclampsia, and having certain autoimmune conditions.

Aortic dissection

Aortic dissection occurs when your aorta (the main artery in your body) ruptures. It’s a rare but serious and life-threatening condition that requires immediate emergency treatment. Your risk is higher if you have untreated high blood pressure, use cocaine, are over 60, male, or pregnant.

At Welbeck, you’ll have an initial consultation where your consultant will ask you about your symptoms and medical history.

They may also carry out a physical examination along with the following investigations and tests:

• blood tests

• electrocardiogram (ECG)

• echocardiogram

• stress echocardiogram

• exercise test

• imaging tests such as myocardial perfusion scans and CT scans

Once your consultant has an accurate diagnosis, they’ll be able to recommend the safest and most effective treatment for you.

Chest pain can’t always be prevented. But there are things you can do to greatly reduce your risk. This includes:

• managing and treating health conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol

• stopping smoking

• limiting your alcohol intake

• maintaining a healthy weight

• eating a balanced and nutritious diet

• exercising on most days of the week

While most chest pain isn’t usually serious, some causes are life-threatening. That’s why you should always see a consultant to diagnose and treat your chest pain.  

Call 999 for immediate emergency treatment if your chest pain is sudden, doesn’t go away, makes you feel sick, breathless, sweaty, or spreads to either of your arms, neck, jaw, back, or stomach. These are all signs of a heart attack.

Your consultant will assess your risk, make an accurate diagnosis, and get you started on treatment immediately. 

Your options will depend on what’s causing your chest pain. If it’s heart-related, treatments can include:

• medication

• surgery such as coronary angioplasty (a procedure used to widen your coronary arteries, which are the main blood vessels that supply your heart)

At Welbeck, our cardiologists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.  

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.

Get in touch today to book an appointment.