A medical practitioner in Abuja, Dr Felix Madu, has said that chest pain can be a symptom of a life threatening disease.
Madu, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday, described chest pain as a discomfort or pain that a person felt around the front of the body between the neck and upper abdomen.
He, however, noted that the pain could be from heart muscle if there was insufficient oxygen or blood flow.
The physician said that chest pain varied from one person to another as some occurred as sharp stabbing pains and others, dull aches in the chest.
According to him, the pain is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying heart problem which may be life threatening or non-life threatening.
Madu said that chest pain could be caused by poor blood flow to the heart or the heart muscle had no enough blood to function properly.
He said other factors, such as angima, which means discomfort, pressure or squeezing of the chest, could be a causative factor to chest pain.
He explained that chest pain could also be as a result of a strained muscle in the chest wall as well as inflammation in the joints between the cartilages that join the ribs to the breast bone.
“Problems in the lungs, the oesophagus, nerves, high blood pressure and blockage of blood flow to the heart could also be contributory factors to chest pain.
He said “problem of the gallbladder and stomach ulcers could also predispose a person to chest pain.
“Gastrointestinal problem, anxiety and panic attack could also cause chest pain.
“Lung problems, pneumonia and inflammation of the membrane surrounding the lungs caused by infection could also cause chest pain.
“Also, shingles, a disease caused by chicken pox, virus can also cause chest pain.’’
Madu said that pain and swelling of the breast, usually caused by infection during breastfeeding, could also cause chest pain.
Madu said pulmonary embolism, a blockage in the blood vessel that carries blood to the heart to the lungs, could also predispose a person to chest pain.
He, however, said that treatment and management of chest pain depended on the cause after evaluation and diagnosis.
He, therefore, encouraged the use of medication, non-invasive procedures and surgery in treating chest pain relating to heart disease.
Madu advised that physical examination and testing was necessary in order to treat and manage the condition.
The physician advised patients with the condition to seek medical help.
