a cold

Chest pain is an extremely serious symptom because it may indicate an immediate heart attack, but can have less serious causes such as heartburn, reflux, GERD, etc. Because of the risk of heart attack, seek emergency professional medical attention immediately for any type of chest pain or chest tightness. It is sadly all too common for people to misdiagnose chest pain as something milder (e.g. heartburn, angina), when in fact it does come from a heart attack. It is also possible to have a heart attack without chest pain; see symptoms of heart attack. Another common cause of sudden chest pain is an panic attack (anxiety attack) where it is common for people to rush to the hospital believing they are having a heart attack. Nevertheless, it is always important to rule out heart attack as the cause of chest pain or other chest symptoms, so seek professional medical help immediately. The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Chest pain. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms. # Some possible causes of sudden chest pain include: * Heart attack * Angina - first episode might be classed as "sudden chest pain". * Anxiety attack * Panic attack * Esophagitis * Pneumothorax * Peptic ulcer * Chest nerve irritation (see Chest symptoms) * Pulmonary embolism * Dissecting aortic aneurysm * Pericarditis * Pancreatitis # Some possible causes of recurring chest pain include: * Heart attack * Angina * Hiatus hernia * Lung disease * Chest infection (see Chest symptoms) * Lung cancer * Gallbladder disease * Arrhythmias * Anemia * Pernicious anemia * Aortic aneurysm * Pericarditis * Aortic valve disorder * Da Costa's syndrome * Chondritis * Bornholm's disease