Chest pain is a common reason for patients to visit their doctor. Many a time they worry what might be the cause of the pain, and in particular worry whether it may be a heart attack.
This worry and anxiety is natural. It may be reassuring to know that not all chest pain is due to the heart, and there are a number of other causes as well. This sort of pain is called non cardiac chest pain. However, if you do suffer from chest pain, rather than think it could be due to these other causes, we STRONGLY RECOMMEND you see your doctor straight away for further advice.
Here are some points on how to manage acute chest pain.
Right, so lets see what the other causes for chest pain are. We will not be talking about heart attacks or heart related pain here.
1. Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (gastro = stomach, esophagus = food pipe), also called GERD, heartburn or acid reflux disease is the most common cause of non cardiac chest pain seen in clinical practice. Millions of people all over India and in the South Asian countries suffer from this condition. This is well recognised as one of the commonest causes of non-cardiac chest pain.
Patients with GERD often complain of chest pain behind the breast bone. The pain is typically ‘burning’ in nature, and patients state that they experience increased episodes of burping and ‘acid in the mouth’. Patients also tend to salivate more. The symptoms are worse after a heavy meal and when lying down flat. This history is fairly classic of this condition.
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