nature of chest pain

Last reviewed 01/2018

The nature of chest pain gives a clue to possible underlying pathology:-

• constricting - suggestive of angina, anxiety or oesophagitis;
• sharp - may be from the pleura or pericardium (pain that is exacerbated by deep inspiration is pleuritic);
• intense prolonged pain - suggestive of myocardial infarction ("the worst pain that I have ever had...I thought that I was going to die");