Chest Pain: Causes and When It Is Dangerous

Chest pain is one of the most common reasons people seek emergency care, precisely because its causes range enormously in seriousness.

Cardiac Causes

Reduced blood flow to the heart (as in a heart attack or angina) typically causes pressure, squeezing, or heaviness rather than a sharp, localized pain, often triggered or worsened by exertion.

Non-Cardiac Causes

Many cases of chest pain are unrelated to the heart, including:

• Musculoskeletal — strained chest wall muscles or rib cartilage inflammation, often reproducible by pressing on the area or moving a certain way
• Digestive — acid reflux (GERD) can cause a burning chest pain that mimics cardiac pain
• Respiratory — conditions affecting the lungs or the lining around them, sometimes worsened by breathing deeply
• Anxiety — panic attacks can cause genuine chest tightness and shortness of breath

Red Flags That Mean Emergency Care

Seek emergency care immediately if chest pain is severe or crushing, spreads to the arm, jaw, neck, or back, comes with shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness, or feels different from any pain you've had before.

Why Self-Diagnosis Is Risky

Because cardiac and non-cardiac chest pain can feel similar, and because delaying care for a real cardiac event is dangerous, chest pain that is new, severe, or accompanied by other symptoms should always be evaluated by a medical professional rather than assumed to be harmless.