Chest pain has many possible causes, from the heart to the lungs, muscles, or digestion. Some causes are emergencies. Here is a plain-language overview and, most importantly, the warning signs that mean you should get help right away.
Some chest pain is a medical emergency. Call emergency services right away if your chest pain is sudden and severe, feels like pressure or squeezing, or comes with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck, or back. These can be signs of a heart attack, and it is safer to be checked urgently than to wait.
Not all chest pain comes from the heart. It can also come from the lungs, such as a chest infection, from the muscles and joints of the chest wall, or from the digestive system, such as acid reflux. Anxiety and panic can cause chest pain too. The location, timing, and what makes it better or worse all give clues, but they cannot reliably tell heart causes from non-heart causes on their own.
Because the possible causes range from harmless to serious, chest pain is one symptom where being checked matters. A clinician considers your history and risk factors and may use tests such as an ECG or blood tests to sort out the cause. Describing exactly how the pain feels and what brings it on helps them a great deal.
Answer a short set of structured questions and Mednex gives a cited, plain-language read on what could be involved and what to consider next. It is educational and never a diagnosis.
Start a symptom checkContent last reviewed 9 July 2026. Reference ranges vary by laboratory; always read your results against the range printed on your own report.
This page describes a common symptom in general terms using public information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It is educational and is not a diagnosis or medical advice, and it cannot tell you what is causing your symptom. If your symptom is severe, sudden, or does not go away, or if you are worried, contact a healthcare professional.