Chest Pains

[Krissy1986]

Hi, I am 22 years old and I have been experiencing chest pains, I get them very often, once or twice a day. The pain is under my left breast more to the center, over my heart. I don't get any other symptoms apart from this pain, but sometimes i have to stop in my tracks and clutch my chest. I was a smoker for 10 years but have stopped for over a year now. I also get these pains when I workout. Is it quite normal to be getting pains like this? I have seen a doctor just a year ago about this but he said he could not find anything wrong with me, but a year has passed now and I am still getting them, surly this should mean there is a reason this is happening?!

[Krissy1986]

Thank you very much - any of the above are a scarey prospect so I think I will book myself in to the doctors and get myself checked out.

Thank you!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi

Thanks for the post!

Chest pain for over a year could be due to costochondritis (inflammation of the joint between rib and chest bone), angina (pain comes with exercise only), gall bladder problems, severe acidity, hiatal hernia, tuberculosis or any cancer of lung or bone. Since you are just 22 years old I would look at exposure to smoking causing cancers as the last possibility for the pain. However since you have been a smoker it could be that you have developed exercise intolerance and the low oxygen causes pain in the heart area. Since you get the pains more with exercise I would suggest a workup for angina and for costochondritis first. This is especially needed if you have a family history of heart disease.

I think you could discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!