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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Chest pain

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈtʃest peɪn/nounCore term

In medicine, chest pain means: Pain or discomfort felt in the chest; it can come from the heart, lungs, food pipe, muscles or ribs, so it is always taken seriously.

In Turkish: göğüs ağrısı

How it is used

A key presenting complaint in the emergency department. Doctors ask whether it is central, crushing or tight, whether it radiates to the arm or jaw, and what brings it on. An ECG is usually done early to look for a heart attack.

Example sentences

  1. A 58-year-old man presented with central chest pain radiating to his left arm.

  2. Her chest pain gets worse when she breathes in deeply.

Common collocations

  • central chest pain
  • pleuritic chest pain
  • atypical chest pain
  • chest pain on exertion
  • myocardial infarctionDeath of part of the heart muscle because its blood supply is suddenly blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery; the medical name for a heart attack.
  • anginaChest pain or tightness caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, typically brought on by exertion and relieved by rest.
  • ECGShort for electrocardiogram: a test that records the heart's electrical activity using small sticky pads placed on the chest, arms and legs.
  • troponinA protein released into the blood when heart muscle is damaged; a blood test for it helps doctors diagnose a heart attack.
  • radiateOf pain, to spread from the place where it starts to another part of the body, for example from the chest to the left arm.

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.