I am a 39 year old female, relatively healthy. For the past several months I have had an aching/pinching kind of twinge of pain that I feel on the left side of my chest. It comes and goes at different times (while at work, at home resting, etc). The discomfort generally only lasts a few minutes. I have also experienced some difficulty breathing in the last few months and a breathing test done at the ENT indicated asthma . I am now taking medications for that and I am scheduled to see a pulmonologist soon for a consultation. I am wondering if the recurring chest discomfort/pain is anything to be concerned about. I am also seeing my primary care doctor soon.
Hi and thanks for the query, recurrent chest pain especially of acute onset deserves a careful evaluation. With a past history or clinical symptoms suggesting asthma, proper taking of medication could be sufficient to manage the problem. However, other common causes of chest pain like angina sectors of cardiac origin, inflammatory causes, chest infections, acute pericarditis must also be considered. A chest X-ray might be very important in discarding other common causes of chest pain. I do not think it's time to be bothered for real. A pulmonologists' opinion is most welcome under such circumstances, and you really need not worry. Thanks and best regards, Luchuo, MD.