Editorial
Non-cardiac chest pain: assessment and management
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Chest pain is a common reason for patients to attend cardiac clinics, but the cause of pain in more than 50% of these patients is non-cardiac.1 In a recent study of 660 consecutive referrals to a "one stop" clinic, only 27% had a cardiac cause for their symptoms.2 Another group, which is particularly difficult to manage, is that with a combination of ischaemic heart disease and non-cardiac pain.3 Patients with non-cardiac pain have a good outcome in terms of mortality4 but continue to experience pain, tend to remain on cardiac medication, and continue to attend emergency departments, primary care, and outpatient clinics.4 Regrettably, both patient and doctor may find an initial, but erroneous, diagnosis of cardiac pain difficult to revoke.5
AetiologyMost research has involved patients with a normal angiographic
appearance to the large epicardial arteries. Although a small proportion of such patients with ST segment depression may have underlying cardiac
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- Skeletal chest pain
- Richard A Best
- Online, 25 Apr 2000 [Full text]
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