Chest discomfort, made clear.

Pressure, tightness, burning, or pain can have several causes. A narrowed coronary artery may limit oxygen to the heart, especially during activity. Other causes involve the lungs, muscles, or digestion.

You cannot safely identify the cause just by the type of pain.

A plaque can break open and form a clot that blocks blood flow to the heart. New or unexplained pressure that lasts more than a few minutes or returns may be a heart attack.

Call 911, especially with sweating, nausea, breathlessness, or faintness. Do not drive yourself.

For acute symptoms, urgent assessment may include an EKG and blood tests. For selected stable symptoms, your clinician may recommend stress testing or imaging.

This picture shows supervised exercise testing. Do not try to test concerning chest pain by exercising at home.