Burning sensation in the chest - what can cause this symptom

A burning sensation in the chest is a clinical manifestation of a number of pathological conditions. The rib cage (or, as it is also called, the chest) is a part of the body that contains the entire chest cavity and the upper component of the peritoneum. They are a “receptacle” for vital human organs. Discomfort in them often signals the presence of pathologies of the heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract or lungs.

You can get rid of this symptom forever only by identifying its initiating factor. To do this, you need to seek professional advice. The specialist with whom you make an appointment will conduct an examination and prescribe appropriate diagnostic tests, thanks to which it will be possible to accurately diagnose, determine a treatment strategy and begin to implement it.

Where to go if you have a burning sensation in your chest?

Are you a resident or guest of the capital and are you faced with a similar problem? Contact CELT. Our clinic is multidisciplinary and has departments of various specializations. You can make an appointment with a cardiologist, therapist, neurologist or gastroenterologist and get the help you need.

Our diagnostic department offers ample opportunities for correct diagnosis and identification of pathological conditions in the initial stages of development. Our staff is staffed with highly qualified specialists: doctors of the highest category, candidates and doctors of science with decades of medical practice behind them.

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Physiological causes of burning in the chest

Experts identify a number of initiating factors for such a phenomenon as a burning sensation in the chest. The most common of these is poor diet, including fatty, spicy, salty foods, carbonated water and fast food, along with frequent overeating or eating food before bed.

The above leads to the contents of the stomach entering the esophagus, where it irritates the mucous membrane, which causes discomfort. They are accompanied by nausea, heartburn and belching, as well as bloating. In order to exclude this, it is enough to change your diet by minimizing the above-mentioned foods, optimizing portion sizes and eliminating the consumption of food before bedtime.

The same can be said about excessive consumption of coffee and alcoholic beverages, as well as smoking. All of them can cause a burning sensation in the chest, which will stop as soon as their consumption is reduced to a reasonable limit. It is important to understand that it is not the norm and its appearance is a reason to visit a doctor.

A number of reasons are associated with diseases of the cardiovascular system, characterized by the inability of blood vessels to provide the heart with a sufficient volume of oxygen. This occurs with ischemia, which is manifested by a local decrease in blood supply due to narrowing or blockage of the arteries, due to which the most important organ of the human body suffers.

Do not forget about neurological factors, when a burning sensation occurs due to compression or damage to the nerve ending or in stressful situations, with neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, it can be caused by pathological conditions characterized by damage to the bronchial mucosa or trachea.

conclusions

There are many reasons why the heart burns. Most of them are associated with chronic pathologies that require complex and long-term treatment.

However, other sources of intense pain include pathologies that directly threaten human life. Therefore, at the first symptoms, which are accompanied by disorders of the nervous system (arms or legs begin to go numb), expressed by respiratory failure (shortness of breath, debilitating cough), consult a doctor for qualified help.

Diseases that cause burning in the chest

Only a doctor who has everything necessary for diagnosis can identify the cause of a burning sensation in the chest in the middle, right or left. You should not engage in self-diagnosis, as it is fraught with the risk of complications.

Diseases	Triggering factors
Hearts	Sharp pain and burning in the chest near the heart may be a sign of a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention. This occurs with the following diseases: Angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome that develops during stress or physical exertion (often after eating). It is characterized by pain symptoms radiating to the mandibular, cervical, shoulder and scapular regions. The attack lasts about ten to fifteen minutes and disappears after taking pharmacological drugs containing glycerol trinitrate. They are known as "nitroglycerin"; Myocardial infarction is one of the forms of ischemic necrosis of the heart muscle, which develops due to a deficiency of its blood supply. In addition to burning, it is characterized by painful symptoms of a burning nature, radiating to the left upper limb, scapular region, lower jaw, as well as cold sweat, a feeling of fear; Myocarditis is an inflammatory process of the cardiac muscle membrane of an infectious, allergic or rheumatic nature. It manifests itself as shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, enlarged veins in the neck, pain symptoms in the heart, and arrhythmia.
Liver	Experts identify a number of diseases of the liver and biliary tract, the symptoms of which are manifested by a burning sensation in the sternum. These include: Non-inflammatory liver diseases, characterized by metabolic disorders and necrosis of liver cells - hepatosis; Diffuse inflammation of the liver tissue due to exposure to toxins or infections - hepatitis; A chronic pathological condition in which parenchymal liver tissue degenerates into fibrous tissue is cirrhosis. Other clinical manifestations of the above diseases are as follows: Dull pain that does not change with body movements and does not increase with changes in its position; Burning on the right side of the sternum and pain radiating to the scapular and cervical regions; Yellow coating on the tongue and a bitter taste in the mouth.
Gastrointestinal tract	A phenomenon such as heartburn always leads to a burning sensation and pain symptoms due to irritation of the walls of the esophagus by gastric juice. As for diseases, one of the symptoms of which is a burning sensation in the chest, they are as follows: Esophagitis is characterized by inflammatory processes in the walls of the esophagus, which can be acute or chronic. In addition to burning, it is manifested by sensitivity of the esophagus to hot and cold food, pronounced pain symptoms radiating to the neck and back, impaired swallowing function due to pain and heartburn; Intestinal colic is spasms of the intestinal walls, characterized by serious pain symptoms. Manifested by severe cutting or stabbing pain; Gastric ulcer is a chronic disease with frequent relapses, characterized by ulcers of the gastric walls. It occurs with remissions and exacerbations, characterized by pain and burning in the epigastric region under the xiphoid process. The pain is localized on the left side of the center, sometimes on the right, radiating to the scapular, lumbar and thoracic regions on the right side; Gastritis is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by inflammatory processes in the gastric mucosa. Its symptoms are characterized by a sudden appearance when taking NSAIDs and errors in diet. They are manifested by a burning sensation, belching, nausea, vomiting, and increased frequency of stools; Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. They can be acute and chronic, manifested by unbearable pain in the hypochondrium on the affected side; sometimes the pain surrounds the torso.
Intercostal neuralgia	It is a pain syndrome that develops as a result of damage to the intercostal nerves due to various reasons, ranging from compression to infection or intoxication. This syndrome is a sign that the patient has diseases of the organs of the chest wall, mediastinum, and spinal cord. Clinical manifestations are as follows: Acute piercing pain localized in the sternum and encircling the patient’s torso—lumbago; Its irradiation to the scapular, cardiac and epigastric region; Paleness or hyperemia of the skin; Painful attacks lasting no more than three minutes; Increased burning sensation when coughing, bending or inhaling.
Pneumonia	Acute inflammatory infectious lesion of the lungs, which can be lobar or focal. Symptoms of the first include a cough, a sharp increase in temperature, burning and pain in the sternum, and weakness. As for the second, its onset is hardly noticeable; it appears after acute respiratory diseases. Clinical manifestations in addition to pain on inspiration, shortness of breath, cyanosis, wet cough.
Scoliosis	Persistent sideways curvature of the spinal column relative to its axis. A burning sensation in the chest occurs due to the fact that with this disease, abrasion of the intervertebral discs and compression of the nerve endings occurs, which provokes serious discomfort.
Intercostal myositis	Inflammatory processes of skeletal muscles located between the ribs. On palpation, pain symptoms appear along the entire intercostal space. Experts identify three pain points: the spinal column, the sternum and its lateral surface. In addition, there is swelling of the affected part, redness or, conversely, paleness of the skin, sore throat, cough and headache.

Pressing heart pain

Basically, sensations of this nature indicate the presence of angina. Such pain can radiate to the chin, lower jaw, and shoulder. In this case, there is numbness in the left arm from the shoulder joint to the fingers. The duration of an attack can vary from one hour to several days. Pain occurs both as a result of exertion and in a calm state. Often, patients complain that their heart hurts at night, noting the pressing nature of the pain.

However, a heart attack can be accurately diagnosed only through examination, since myocarditis and mitral valve prolapse, as well as intercostal neuralgia, also manifest themselves.

Which doctor should I contact if I have a burning sensation in my chest?

Regular repetitions of this symptom are a reason to contact a therapist. He will conduct an examination, collect anamnesis, ask questions that interest him - and either prescribe treatment or refer him to:

gastroenterologist - if gastrointestinal diseases are suspected;
orthopedist - if osteochondrosis is suspected;
neurologist - if osteochondrosis is suspected;
cardiologist - if you suspect diseases of the cardiovascular system.

They, in turn, will prescribe diagnostic tests to make an accurate diagnosis.

How is the diagnosis done?

In order to diagnose a symptom, the doctor only needs to conduct a survey and hear the patient’s complaints. The disease causing it can be diagnosed by conducting comprehensive studies. First of all, the patient is examined and a medical history is collected, after which laboratory tests of blood and urine, a detailed blood test, and determination of hormonal levels are prescribed. In addition, hardware tests are prescribed, the selection of which is based on preliminary studies. It could be:

X-ray of the sternum;
Ultrasound scanning of the internal organs of the chest cavity;
Electrocardiography;
Gastroenterological studies.

Trial of proton pump inhibitor therapy

A test involving short-term therapy with high doses of a proton pump inhibitor for non-cardiac pain has both diagnostic and therapeutic value.

Patients are prescribed 60-80 mg/24 hours of omeprazole, esomeprazole or pantoprazole and 30-90/24 hours. lansoprazole. Duration of trial therapy is up to 28 days. The sensitivity of this test is estimated at 69–95% and specificity at 67–86%.

Patients who do not respond to treatment attempts with proton pump inhibitors should undergo the following procedures:

daily impedance-pH-metry of the esophagus, which makes it possible to diagnose non-acid reflux, the symptoms of which persist after such treatment;
esophageal manometry, diagnosing esophageal motility disorders;
in cases of chest pain not associated with GERD or esophageal motility disorders, after excluding other causes, a consultation with a psychiatrist is prescribed.

Treatment depends on the type and severity of the condition causing chest pain.

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