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Forum Name: Chest symptoms

Question: Chest pain/21 year old female

sunshine21 - Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:07 am

I'm a 21-year-old female who has had Chest pain for a couple days now...I've been writing it off as a strained muscle or ligament. It's in my left breast area, is sharp, and comes and goes. It is sharp and achy at the same time--I know that doesn't make sense, but this pain is hard to describe. I think I can rub certain areas that are more sore near my ribs...but I can't say for sure. My family has no history of heart problems, but I have anorexia nervosa (binge/purge subtype). I've had lots of EKG's (none since this pain started) and I have occasional a-fib but not constant. I take 100 mg Zoloft and 30 mg Buspar; occasionally Sanctura. My other health problems are frequent Headaches and stomachaches. I hope I covered everything relevant![/I]

Dr. Safaa Mahmoud - Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:17 pm

Hello, - It sounds like muscle spasm is the cause of your symptoms. Muscle spasm alone can cause this pain which can be an unidentified cause but in many cases is the result of viral infection, inappropriate posture for long time like traveling, driving and certain types of work. Self care and avoiding the precipitating cause will lead to a gradual but clear improvement in the pain. Home treatment includes the use of Analgesics, cold or hot therapy. Rest for maximum two days is also beneficial. Other causes should be excluded like: Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, which is a double-layered membrane covers the lungs separating it from the rib cage. Viral infections like flu, are the most common cause of Pleurisy. The pain is felt as sharp pain which get worse by Coughing, sneezing, moving and deep breathing. Auscultation of the chest shows a characteristic sound known as pleural rub. Sometimes Chest pain is not originating from the chest itself; instead it is due to problems in the digestive tract. These problems include IBS, Gastritis and Gastric ulcer, gall bladder disease, GER. Cardiac causes, should be excluded in any case of Chest pain although it is not likely to be the cause in your case (female, young age, atypical symptoms). Psychological or emotional stress and Anxiety, in these cases the diagnosis is made by exclusion of other causes. Direct clinical examination is essential. Best regards,

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