What are the causes of pain below the left sternum?

Judging from the clinical symptoms, the pain below the left sternum is mostly caused by a certain disease in the chest, such as pleurisy, angina pectoris, pericarditis, myocardial infarction, intercostal neuritis, esophagitis, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, etc. It can be seen that it is not a simple matter to determine the cause of the disease. You must choose a regular hospital for professional examination and then treat it according to the disease.

1. Common diseases that cause chest pain

1. Pleural diseases: such as pleurisy and spontaneous pneumothorax. The chest pain caused by these diseases is related to breathing and coughing. Chest pain worsens with deep breathing and coughing, often accompanied by difficulty breathing. Chest pain is localized to the side of the lesion.

2. Cardiovascular disease: represented by angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, followed by pericarditis. This type of chest pain often manifests as compressive, stuffy, or even tearing pain in the precordial area and behind the sternum. It often radiates to the left shoulder, neck and inner side of the left arm, and is accompanied by shock symptoms in severe cases.

3. Intercostal neuritis, herpes zoster, and esophagitis: All can cause chest pain. Herpes zoster causes severe chest pain that runs along the intercostals, and dense small blisters appear on the skin after 1 to 2 days.

4. Chest pain caused by certain abdominal organ diseases: such as subphrenic abscess, acute cholecystitis, and acute pancreatitis.

5. Chest trauma: common in rib fractures and a history of chest trauma, with chest pain aggravated by breathing or coughing.

2. Nature and characteristics of chest pain

1. Characteristics of chest pain: Chest pain caused by chest wall disease is clearly localized and may cause local redness, swelling, tenderness, rash, and deformity. Hospitals not included in the list

2. Nature of chest pain: The chest pain caused by intercostal neuritis is paroxysmal and stabbing. Esophagitis causes burning pain. Tearing pain is common in dissecting aneurysms.

3. Location of chest pain: Pain behind the sternum is common in angina pectoris. Left anterior chest pain can also be angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or left-sided pneumonia. Chest pain radiating to the left shoulder is often angina pectoris.

3. Emergency measures for severe chest pain

1. If you suspect an angina attack, immediately administer oxygen, rest, and take nitroglycerin sublingually.

2. For chest pain caused by pleurisy or chest wall disease, you can use a wider abdominal belt to fix the chest wall at the painful area to reduce the movement of the chest during breathing.

3. Go to the hospital immediately for an electrocardiogram and X-ray examination to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is directed at the cause.

4. Take painkillers appropriately.