Chest Pain

What is chest pain?

When you feel pain in your chest, you might assume you’re having a heart-related problem. Chest pain can be a symptom of a heart attack. But you can experience this pain for many other reasons, like problems with your muscles, ribs, lungs, or esophagus. Heart-related chest pain can come on suddenly or happen occasionally.

That’s why you should see your doctor at Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PLLC for an evaluation if you suffer from chest pain.

Your symptoms can cause you to feel several kinds of sensations in your chest. These include stabbing pain, a dull ache, burning, or tightness.

You should never ignore chest pain. Your cardiologist at Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PLLC can evaluate you and run tests to find the source of your problem.

What causes chest pain?

Chest pain can be related to:

• Heart problems, like heart attack, angina, or pericarditis
• Lung problems, like pleurisy, pneumonia, asthma, or COPD
• Digestive problems, like heartburn, pancreatitis, or gallbladder disease
• Muscle, nerve, or bone problems, like a broken rib, muscle strain, or shingles

Anxiety, panic attacks, and other emotional upheavals can also cause chest pain.

How is chest pain diagnosed?

The expert cardiologists at Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PLLC use one or more of the following tests to diagnose your chest pain:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG)
• Chest X-ray
• Blood tests
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan
• Echocardiogram (echo)
• Treadmill stress test
• Coronary catheterization (angiogram)
• Nuclear cardiology test

You can trust your provider to do thorough testing to get to the root cause of your problem. If your tests show a serious problem, your doctor develops a customized treatment plan to reduce or eliminate your symptoms and, if possible, cure the underlying problem.

How is chest pain treated?

Chest pain treatments differ based on your symptoms. They can include making lifestyle changes, taking medication, having surgery, or another medical procedure. The treatments include:

• Weight loss
• Exercise
• Aspirin
• Diuretics
• Blood thinners
• Artery relaxers
• Beta-blockers
• Acid-suppressing medication
• Antidepressants
• Angioplasty and stent placement
• Bypass surgery
• Lung reinflation

Your cardiologist discusses the treatment choices with you once you have an accurate diagnosis.

If you’re experiencing chest pain, schedule an appointment with the team at Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PLLC today. Call the friendly office or use the online scheduling tool.