chest pain / shortness of breath / Ehlers Danlos

[cold_outside]

Hello, I'm wondering what could be the cause of chest pain when taking deep breaths, I have had this problem on and off for the last few years. It is much worse when it gets cold. I smoked for 15 years, but have been quit since last year except for the occaisionl drunken relapse. i am 29, and went to my docter last year with these symptoms. He did a chest xray, which he said was normal, he also did a EKG and an Echocardiogram to rule out heart problems, both where totally normal. I have Ehlers Danlos, the "hypermobility type". I'm wondering if all the feeling of breathlessness and the pain when breathing are somehow related to this? The doctor seemed to think nothing was wrong, but the problems persist. what do i do?

[Dory1969]

Have you ever had Vascular EDS ruled out?   ANY chest pain in EDS should be taken seriously be a GP.  Undiagnosed vascular EDS is dangerous and chest pain should only be put down to muscular inflammation if Vascular EDS HAS beed ruled out.   If you check any EDS information, this is the rule of thumb.   Take literature to your GP regarding Shortness of Breath and pain in chest.

[CarriFischer]

I have EDS Hypermobility type, I am not sure what it is that causes it but I am guessing it has something to do with the rib joints, so my problem is when I go to sleep at night I lay on either side (rotate a lot while sleeping) multiple times throughout the night I will wake up and my ribs and not sure if its my diaphragm or my lungs hurt incredibly bad when I try and breathe in, I have found that if I sleep with my feather pillow rolled up and place it under my ribs/stomach area I don't wake up with the pain in my ribs just my neck from lack of a pillow. I think I just need to find a pillow maker and have them custom make a pillow that supports my neck that also goes down to about hip level to support all of my torso.

[Sunny602]

I too have EDS III, this post made me really think about myself as well. I have chronic pain in my chest area as well as my joints and such. I knew that chronic joint pain was common with EDS, it is actually a relief to know that my pain can be explained finally after years of misdiagnosis  and being called nuts. I didn't realize the chest pain connection though. I assumed that it was because of my chronic lung problems and coughing (which probably does aggrevate my already tender ribs).
I agree that GERD could be causing your breathlessness...GERD is also a huge problem with me. I am on PPI's...mainly Nexium twice a day and it seems to block the acids quite well.
Hopefully your doc can help you out....Sunny

[rb0211]

Costal Chondritis - an inflammation or irritation of cartilage in your ribs - is a possible cause of the chest pain while taking deep breaths.  Alternatively, or in conjunction, your rib joints can be inflamed.  Yes, your ribs have joints where they connect to the spine and chest cartilage.  These are common conditions for those of us with EDS Hypermobility.  Movement in the ribs can cause pain and inflammation over time.  Most common treatment - anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and rest.  For severe cases, cortisone injections into the problem areas are performed.

As to the "breathlessness", acid reflux disease (GERD and LPR) are also common conditions in EDS patients.  In addition to causing heartburn-like symptoms, reflux can cause asthma-like symptoms including shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing on exhale.  Treatment is medication like Prilosec (or generic equivalents now available over the counter) that control the production of acid.

Hope this helps, but as I am not a medical professional, please discuss these possibilities with your doctor.