Chapter 33: Chest Pain

There is little correlation between the severity of chest pain and the seriousness of its cause. The range of disorders that cause chest discomfort is shown in Table 33-1.

TABLE 33-1: Diagnoses of Pts Admitted to Hospital with Acute Chest Pain Ruled Not Myocardial Infarction
DIAGNOSIS	PERCENTAGE
Gastroesophageal disease^a	42
Gastroesophageal reflux
Esophageal motility disorders
Peptic ulcer
Gallstones
Ischemic heart disease	31
Chest wall syndromes	28
Pericarditis	4
Pleuritis/pneumonia	2
Pulmonary embolism	2
Lung cancer	1.5
Aortic aneurysm	1
Aortic stenosis	1
Herpes zoster	1

^aIn order of frequency.

Source: Fruergaard P et al: The diagnoses of patients admitted with acute chest pain but without myocardial infarction. Eur Heart J 17:1028, 1996.

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