Chest
Pain
What
is it?
Pediatric chest pain is a
child’s complaint of pain in the chest area,
occurring in the front or back.
What
causes it?
Chest pain can be caused by
any number of things, but the most common causes
are chronic cough, strenuous exercise that causes
muscle soreness in that area, and precordial catch
syndrome, which is believed to be caused by a
pinched nerve in the chest area.
While heart disease is rarely the cause of
chest pain in children, the cause of the pain
should be thoroughly investigated to rule out any
congenital heart disease.
What
are the symptoms?
Symptoms of chest pain could
be the feeling of sore muscles in the chest wall,
upper abdomen, or diaphragm. Muscle soreness that
is caused by strenuous exercise that involves
lifting may increase with shoulder movement.
A signal of chest pain caused
by precordial catch syndrome is a sudden pain just
below the left nipple. Your child may describe the
pain as feeling like a knife. While the pain is
sudden and severe, it usually goes away within a
minute. Precordial
catch syndrome may continue into adulthood, but is
completely harmless.
How
is it diagnosed?
Your doctor will take a
thorough history, including any recent strenuous
exercise or activities.
If the chest pain is recurrent or the
doctor hears suspicious heart sounds with a
stethoscope, he or she may order additional
diagnostic tests.
What
is the treatment?
If chest pain is caused by
coughing, a cough-suppressing medicine that
contains dextromethorphan (DM) will help to quiet
the cough and give the sore muscles a chance to
rest. You
can treat sore chest muscles with acetaminophen or
ibuprofen until the pain passes.
Moist heat also helps to relieve muscle
spasms. Consult
your doctor before any treatment and follow all
dosage recommendations for your child’s age and
weight.
Self-care
tips
While most chest pain is
harmless, you should call your child’s physician
immediately if the pain is so severe that it
interferes with daily activities, the pain lasts
for longer than one hour, your child is not acting
like his or her self, or your child is having
difficulty breathing or is breathing quickly.
You should also consult your doctor any
time a cough persists for more than seven days, or
if your child complains of chest pains frequently.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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