The causes of acute chest pain are the following
- Ischaemic heart disease (HID), ie. angina pectoris or acute myocardial infarction: aortic stenosis.
- Acute dry pleurisy due to any cause (tuberculosis, pneumonia commonly)
- Spontaneous pneumothorax.
- Diffuse oesophageal spasm (may be food-related) : gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.
- Acute pulmonary thromboembolism, tracheobronchitis, mediastinilis.
- Abscess, furuncle on the chest wall/myositis/fibrositis.
- Trauma to the chest wall, eg. rib fracture.
- Costoeondritis (Tietzes syndrome)
- Malignant deposits on the ribs, multiple myeloma.
- Acute dry percarditis.
- Intercostal myalgia (Bornholm disease—intercostal muscle involvement by Coxsackie virus infection).
- Herpes zoster on the chest wall.
- Dissection of ascending aorta.
- Anxiety states /psychogenic (cardiac neurosis)
- Abdomina disorders like hiatal hernia ,gall bladder stones, acute pancreatitis, splenic flexure syndrome
