Re: Chest Pain

Posted By HFHSM.D.-rf on June 17, 1998 at 02:57:41:

In Reply to: Chest Pain posted by Catherine on June 07, 1998 at 13:20:16:






I'm a 44 year old woman in good health. In the last year I've had
three experiences of acute chest pain with no dizziness or short-
ness of breath.  Each episode has lasted about ten minutes, with
the pain seeming to occupy the whole upper chest, back, and on
one occasion, throat and ears. I had not been exercising or
eating at the time, and indeed have never had any chest pain when
not at rest. The two other times in my life I've experienced
this pain were in direct response to emotionally stressful
situations. I have had no recurrence in the last six months.  
Could the problem by esophageal spasm?  I've also noticed that I much
more frequently experience 'aching throat' when emotionally upset
than I used to, and my voice in general is quite strained when-
ever stressed.  There is no family history of early-onset heart
disease. My mother has suffered from both dystonia and
hiatus hernia, and she has had bouts of chest pain from the
latter that sound similar to mine. I did see my g.p. a few years
ago about a very mild, sort of 'butterfly wings' fluttery feeling
in my lower chest that I got quite frequently but only lasted
for about five seconds.  I had an ECG which showed nothing
unusual. How should I be investigating this? Thanks very much,
in advance.
______
Dear Catherine,
Esophageal spams can produce a squeezing chest pain that can simulate the pain of a heart attack.  The diagnosis is made by an esophageal motility study that demonstrates high pressure simultaneous muscle contractions at several levels of the esophagus.  Often symptoms of esophageal spasm can be precipitated by drinking liquids that are at extremes of temperature e.g. iced tea otr hot coffee.  It is also possible that your symptoms are related to anxiety as you suggest.Given the relative infrequency of your problem, I would not initiate any investigations at this time.
This information is provided for educational purposes only.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: chest pain, esophageal spasm
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