Is chest pain always a heart attack?
No, chest pain is not always a heart attack. Muscles, ribs, reflux, anxiety and lung problems all cause chest pain far more often than the heart does. But heart pain is the one that cannot wait.
Treat it as an emergency when pain is pressing or squeezing, spreads to the arm, jaw or back, comes with sweating, nausea or breathlessness, or arrives with exertion. Call emergency services; do not drive yourself.
Sharp, brief pains that change with position or breathing are usually the chest wall. If any pain keeps returning, get examined even if it passes.
Source: NHS, heart attack
See a doctor promptly if
- Palpitations with fainting, near fainting, or blacking out for a moment
- Palpitations with chest pain, pressure, or breathlessness at rest
- A racing heart that starts during exercise rather than while resting
- A fast or irregular heartbeat that lasts more than 30 minutes and will not settle
- A close relative who died suddenly and unexpectedly before the age of 50
- Palpitations in someone with known heart failure, a previous heart attack, or a weak heart muscle
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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