“I have chest soreness and radiating pain. Is this due to pleurisy or costochondritis?”
I have a shooting pain that radiates from my arms upto my chin. I am 42 year old woman and I have costochondritis. Could this pain be due to my current condition or is it an indication of a cardiac problem?
7 Answers
Chest pain can be due to many causes including heart problems. If you have a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure , high cholesterol or diabetes please see your family physician for further evaluation. Costochondritis is a localized inflammation of the cartilage and doesn't usually radiates to the arm.
Probably but you need to have a good physical exam
Radiating pain is sometimes difficult to diagnose by subjective description alone. Costochondritis is most likely if there is point tenderness anteriorly on the chest near a rib. Pleurisy is less defined and is inflammation of the pleura or lining of the chest, which is worse with inspiration and usually not affected by palpation. Both, however, should improve with analgesic medication especially NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or tylenol. If the pain radiates down the left or both arms, causes tightness in the jaw or radiates to the back, or if it causes major shortness of breath or sweating than medical attention is needed and a chest X-ray is helpful to rule out common but serious other medical issues such as a collapsed lung, underlying early pneumonia, or other issues. A cardiac problem is uncommon in a person of your age who is otherwise healthy, but it should not be dismissed completely if symptoms persist.
Costochondritis usually is an episodic, sharp pain that you can point to with one finger. The pain you are describing could very well be cardiac in origin. The pain from angina pectoris can occur anywhere from the tip of your nose to your belly button. You should see someone to make sure you do not have silent coronary disease. Women often have different pain patterns than men have.
Juan P. Montoya
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Pleurisy or costochondritis usually hurts when you take a deep breath. That is the main difference from a cardiac cause of chest pain.
Most likely it’s not cardiac but still you need to do some basic investigation to rule out any cardiac a etiology especially if you have a strong family history of heart disease
Hard to tell, but I would get a physician to see you and at least get an EKG. You should at least have the cardiac side checked out as it is a possibility.
