Chest pain in children - causes of occurrence, what diseases it occurs with, diagnosis and treatment methods

Children often complain of chest pain, but it is rarely associated with heart disease or gastrointestinal tract inflammation or inflammation of the osteochondral joints. More often, chest pain in a child appears after physical activity and sports training, it is associated with muscle tension, sometimes due to psycho-emotional stress at home or at school, and is associated with the child’s internal anxiety.

If your child constantly complains of chest discomfort or pain for no apparent reason, consult a pediatrician to rule out serious diseases (heart, lungs, stomach, etc.).

URGENT CARE

Call an ambulance if your child:

elevated temperature
lethargy
chest pain
cough
dry cough
sudden shortness of breath appeared
severe chest pain (suspicious pneumothorax)

THE DOCTOR'S CONSULTATION

Contact your doctor if your child complains of palpitations and difficulty breathing or persistent or very severe chest pain at rest.

ATTENTION!

If your child has persistent chest pain or gets worse with exercise, you should see a doctor. If chest pain appears after an injury, it is necessary to exclude a hip fracture, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), and other injuries to internal organs.

ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION	POSSIBLE REASON	WHAT TO DO
Is the child physically active, plays sports, grows and develops normally, has a good appetite, is breathing normal?	Costochondritis (inflammation of the osteochondral joints of the ribs), muscle strain	If there is no improvement within 2-3 days, contact your pediatrician . Limit physical activity for a couple of days.
The child is healthy, he has difficulties with school and relationships with peers are tense, the atmosphere in the house is tense, chest pain appears at rest, lasts 1-2 minutes?	Nonspecific chest pain	Consult with your pediatrician ; a delicate and skillful approach will help identify psychological causes of pain and exclude organic causes of the disease.
The child suffered a viral infection, his temperature rose, and he developed a cough and weakness, increased breathing and wheezing	Pneumonia	It is necessary to call a pediatrician to choose treatment tactics
The child complains of a sour taste in the mouth and a burning sensation, grows and develops according to age, sometimes vomits, sometimes wakes up at night with pain in the chest or upper abdomen?	Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract	Raise the head of the bed to prevent acidic contents from the stomach from entering the esophagus. Avoid foods that cause heartburn (coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, etc.) Contact your pediatrician for an examination and examination.
Does your child have chest pain after physical activity, dizziness and blurred vision? Are there complaints of increased heart rate at rest, is the child pale or turns blue after physical activity?	Heart diseases	It is necessary to call a pediatrician to determine the causes
Is there swelling of the joints and their pain, chest pain at rest?	Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis	An examination by a pediatrician is required to determine the causes and consultation with specialists.

FOR INFORMATION

Pneumothorax as a cause of chest pain

Collapse of the lung (or part of it) - pneumothorax - causes acute chest pain and sudden onset of shortness of breath. Spontaneous (sudden, without apparent cause) pneumothorax occurs in children, although it is most common in men 20-40 years old. Children with chronic lung diseases (for example, cystic fibrosis) are most prone to this, but pneumothorax occurs in healthy children, more often in thin teenage boys. Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when the lung tissue ruptures, allowing air to leak from the lung into the pleural space. If this "leakage" occurs slowly, the baby will experience chest pain without other symptoms. In this case, the gap, as a rule, closes on its own, and the free air is absorbed. Otherwise, a large accumulation of air in the pleural part can lead to compression of the lung or part of it; In this case, severe chest pain, dry cough, and sudden shortness of breath occur. The child needs to be provided with peace and fresh air. Immediate medical attention is required.

Pediatrician appointment prices:


TYPES OF MEDICAL SERVICES	Cost, rub.
Examination of a child by a pediatrician to obtain a certificate + certificate	1950
Visit of a pediatrician, consultation at home (Moscow)	5400
Consultation with a pediatrician at home for the second child	1950
Patronage for a newborn / gymnastics and swimming at home (1 session, pediatrician Kapina A.V.)	6300

Chest pain when coughing

General information

Chest pain with coughing and inhalation or other respiratory movements usually points to the pleura and pericardium or mediastinum as a possible source of pain, although pain in the chest wall is probably also influenced by respiratory movements and has nothing to do with heart disease.
Most often, the pain is localized in the left or right side and can be either dull or sharp.

You may be interested in: Chest pain when inhaling Chest pain in children

The main causes of chest pain when coughing

Chest pain when coughing and inhaling occurs due to inflammation of the membrane lining the inside of the chest cavity and covering the lungs. Dry pleurisy can occur with various diseases, but most often with pneumonia .

Pain during dry pleurisy decreases when lying on the affected side. There is a noticeable limitation in the respiratory mobility of the corresponding half of the chest. Body temperature is often subfebrile, chills, night sweats, and weakness may be observed. Restriction of chest movement or chest pain when coughing , inhaling and exhaling with shallow breathing is observed with functional disorders of the costal frame or thoracic spine (limited mobility), pleural tumors, pericarditis. With dry pericarditis, chest pain increases with coughing, inhalation and movement, so the depth of breathing decreases, which worsens shortness of breath. The intensity of pain when inhaling varies from slight to severe. When the interpleural ligament is shortened, the following symptoms are observed:

coughing, aggravated by talking, taking a deep breath, or physical activity;
stabbing pain in the chest when coughing or running.

The interpleural ligament is formed from the fusion of the visceral and parietal layers of the pleura of the root of the lung. Further, descending caudally along the medial edge of the lungs, this ligament branches in the tendon part of the diaphragm and its legs. The function is to provide springy resistance during caudal displacement of the diaphragm.

In the presence of an inflammatory process, the ligaments shorten and limit caudal displacement. With intercostal neuralgia, acute “shooting” pain in the chest occurs along the intercostal space, sharply intensifying when coughing and inhaling. With renal colic, the pain is localized in the right hypochondrium and in the epigastric region and then spreads throughout the abdomen. The pain radiates under the right shoulder blade, to the right shoulder, intensifies when coughing and inhaling, as well as when palpating the gallbladder area.

Local pain is observed when pressing in the area of the X-XII thoracic vertebrae 2-3 transverse fingers to the right of the spinous islands. A blow or compression to the chest can cause rib fractures . With such damage, a person feels a sharp pain in the chest when coughing and inhaling.

Inflammation of the trachea

Chest pain when coughing and inhaling may also indicate the presence of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. Chest pain that occurs against the background of a cold (flu, ARVI) and is accompanied by a dry, obsessive cough, manifested by a scratching sensation behind the sternum, aggravated by coughing, is a sign of tracheitis, inflammation of the trachea (the breathing tube connecting the larynx to the bronchi).

Such sensations go away on their own along with the cold itself. In addition, with prolonged, frequent, “nasty” coughing, pain occurs in the lower parts of the chest, at the level of the lower ribs. It is due to the fact that coughing is carried out mainly due to contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm. Like any other muscle, the diaphragm gets tired after prolonged use and pain occurs with each sharp contraction. This pain also goes away after the cold and cough ends. With lung cancer, the nature of the pain is different: sharp, stabbing, girdling, aggravated by coughing and breathing. The pain can cover a certain area or half of the chest; it can radiate to the arms, neck, and abdomen. The pain becomes especially intense and excruciating when the tumor grows into the ribs and spine. Chest pain with pneumothorax is often unbearable, but sometimes it is moderate and, like other pleural pains, increases with coughing and movement. Sometimes spontaneous pneumothorax can occur even without pain. If you often experience chest pain when coughing, seek help from your family physician, neurologist or pulmonologist.

Pediatricians:

Avzalova Daria Evgenevna

Pediatrician, neonatologist
Experience: 17 years Reviews: 7

Call to home

Barzenok Tatyana Arsenyevna

Head of the pediatric department, pediatrician of the first category
Experience: 27 years Reviews: 17