Retrosternal chest pain is pain behind the sternum bone. This flat bone is located in middle of the chest. We often refer it as the breastbone. Retrosternal pain can be quiet severe sometime disrupting day to day life of a person. There are several causes of chest pain behind the sternum. Mostly this pain occurs from diseases of organs situated behind the sternum.
At least 25 percent of people sometime or the other may have experienced the pain due to one reason or the other. Along with pain there may be associated symptoms such as breathlessness, vomiting, burning sensation, coughing, fever, palpitation etc.
Common Causes Of Retrosternal Chest Pain
Pain behind the sternum can arise due to many causes. Some of them are simple and resolve easily while some causes are life threatening and may need immediate medical attention. Retrosternal chest pain can develop due to gastrointestinal causes, it can occur due to cardiac cause as well as respiratory problems.
The gastrointestinal problems that may lead to such pain are mainly related to esophagus, because this organ lies just behind the sternum.
Cardiac causes can also produce moderate to severe pain behind the breastbone. It can be angina pain, heart attack, pericarditis, heart fibrillation, mitral valve prolapsed. Most cardiac causes that produce pain behind the sternum are life threatening, thus immediate medical assistance is needed.
Retrosternal pain can also occur as a result of diseases of respiratory tract. Lung diseases such as pneumonia, heamothorax, pleuritis, and cancer of bronchus or the mediastnum tissue all can cause pain in middle of chest below the breastbone.
Associated Symptoms Of Retrosternal Chest Pain
Retrosternal pain is itself a symptom of a medical condition. It may be abrupt in onset or can be lingering since many days to become severe. The pain may remain for short period of time as in case of angina or may stay for many days as in case of pneumonia or cancer of mediastinum. Pain can be described in many ways such as crushing, agonizing, stinging and compressing.
There are associated symptoms of other diseases along with retrosternal pain as the main symptom.
- Patient has sour taste in mouth especially at night after retiring to bed. This can be due to acid reflux disease.
- Problem in swallowing solid food due to obstruction in the esophagus or a cancerous growth in the esophagus.
- Worsening of pain accompanied with breathlessness, perspiration, increased heart rate, radiating pain to left arm and neck, blue discoloration of tongue and nail, dizziness, vomiting. All these symptoms are indication of heart attack.
- In case of respiratory diseases patient may present with additional symptoms such as high fever, pain aggravate during breathing, expulsion of bloody sputum, decreased appetite, etc.
Treatment For Retrosternal Chest Pain
Treatment of retrosternal pain depends on the underlying cause. Pain in most cases is treated with medicines. For example if the cause is cardiac such as angina or heart attack, medicines are given to clear the blockage of the artery. At the same time if patient has other conditions such as hypertension, than anti hypertensive medicines are added. Patient is also given blood thinning agents and medications to dissolve clots.
In conditions such as acid reflux, patient is prescribed medicines that suppress excess acid production in the stomach. In case of respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, in addition to antibiotics, patient may need painkillers to relieve retrosternal pain.