Chest Pain and When to Seek Care

Introduction

While a heart attack is often the first thought that comes to mind, chest pain can arise from a variety of sources. Distinguishing between them can be difficult without a professional evaluation. Here are some common culprits behind that discomfort in your chest.

Heart-Related (Cardiac) Chest Pain

For residents of Maumee and the greater Toledo area, heart disease remains a significant health concern. In 2022, more than 30,000 Ohioans died from heart disease, according to the Ohio Department of Health — the 12th-highest rate in the nation. That makes it all the more important to understand the potential causes of chest pain and when to seek immediate medical attention.

Cardiac chest pain is the most serious and requires immediate attention. It often feels like pressure, fullness, burning, or tightness.

• Heart Attack: This occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked. The pain is often described as a crushing weight and can radiate to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw.
• Angina: This is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. It's a symptom of coronary artery disease and often occurs during physical exertion or stress.
• Pericarditis: An inflammation of the sac around the heart, causing a sharp, stabbing pain that may worsen when you breathe deeply or lie down.

Digestive Causes of Chest Pain

Many issues related to the digestive system can mimic heart-related pain, which can be confusing. These are often related to meals or your position.

• Acid Reflux (GERD): Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a very common cause. Stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing a burning sensation (heartburn) that can feel like it's in your chest. It often worsens after eating or when lying down.
• Esophageal Spasms: These are abnormal contractions of the esophagus, which can cause significant chest tightness.
• Gallbladder or Pancreas Problems: Gallstones or inflammation of the pancreas can cause intense pain that may spread to your chest and back.

Lung-Related (Pulmonary) Chest Pain

Your lungs share the chest cavity with your heart, so problems here can easily be mistaken for cardiac issues. This type of pain often worsens with breathing or coughing.

• Pneumonia: An infection in the lungs can cause sharp or stabbing chest pain, usually accompanied by fever, chills, and a cough.
• Pulmonary Embolism: This is a life-threatening condition where a blood clot lodges in an artery in the lungs. It causes sudden, sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate.
• Pleurisy: Inflammation of the membrane that lines your lungs and chest cavity. It causes sharp pain that gets worse when you breathe, cough, or sneeze.

Other Common Causes

• Muscle Strain: Lifting something heavy at home, a tough workout, or even forceful coughing can strain the muscles and tendons between your ribs, causing localized chest pain.
• Panic Attack: Intense anxiety can trigger symptoms that feel identical to a heart attack, including rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, and sharp chest pain. While not a cardiac event, the physical symptoms are very real and frightening.
• Shingles: Caused by the same virus as chickenpox, shingles can cause a sharp, band-like pain before a rash appears. The pain can be intense and localized to one side of the chest.

When to Seek Care

You should never try to diagnose the cause of chest pain on your own. However, some symptoms are clear red flags that demand an immediate trip to the emergency room or a call to 911.

• A feeling of pressure, squeezing, fullness, or crushing pain in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes.
• Pain that radiates to your jaw, neck, back, shoulders, or one or both arms.
• Shortness of breath, even when at rest.
• Cold sweats, nausea, vomiting, or lightheadedness.
• Sudden, severe, and sharp pain with an unexplained cough or shortness of breath.
• Unusually fast or irregular heartbeat.

Even if your chest pain feels less severe, it’s still worth getting checked out, especially if you also have a low-grade fever and cough, which could indicate a respiratory infection.

Your Partner in Health in Maumee, Ohio

At ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care, we are committed to serving our community with compassion and expertise.

If you or a loved one experiences chest pain, don’t wait. Our expert medical team is equipped to evaluate and treat heart-related symptoms quickly — with on-site lab testing, and advanced imaging like EKGs, we’re able to provide answers fast.

The emergency room is open 24/7, and the urgent care clinic is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. No appointments are needed, and every patient is seen by an ER-trained physician. You’ll receive the care that matches your needs — and only pay for the level of service you receive.

Conveniently located at 1075 Medical Center Parkway, Maumee, OH 43537, ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care is here to deliver fast, patient-centered care — when and where you need it most.