What causes pain on the left side of the chest?

What is the cause of pain on the left side of the chest? It cannot be judged by the symptoms of pain, because many reasons may cause chest pain. It is recommended to do a chest CT scan. For example, common pleurisy or pneumothorax can cause chest pain.

1. Pleurisy with pain in the left chest.

If chest pain worsens when you take a deep breath or cough, it indicates pleural inflammation, which is more common in patients with tuberculosis or lung tumors. Patients with pleuritic pain may press their hands on one side of the chest wall, avoid deep breathing, or suppress coughing. Over time, chest pain may move from one location to another. In addition, if the lung tumor spreads to the chest wall or ribs, it will cause persistent, intractable chest pain, which can usually be diagnosed by a chest X-ray or chest CT scan.

2. Pneumothorax with pain in the left chest.

Some young people suddenly experienced chest pain when lifting heavy objects. X-ray examination revealed that it was "pneumothorax". This type of spontaneous pneumothorax is more common in young and middle-aged people. Typical symptoms include sudden chest pain, accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and sometimes shortness of breath, a feeling of suffocation, irritability, cyanosis, sweating, shock, etc.

3. Characteristics of chest pain

Chest pain caused by chest wall diseases is clearly localized and may be accompanied by redness, swelling, tenderness, rash, and deformity.

4. Nature of chest pain

The chest pain caused by intercostal neuritis is paroxysmal, stabbing pain. Esophagitis causes burning pain. Tearing pain is common in dissecting aneurysms.

5. Location of chest pain

Pain behind the sternum is common with 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.