Chest Pain. Is It Your Child's Heart or Something Else?
5 Signs You Should Be Worried About and 5 Other Common Causes from a Pediatrician
Fortunately, chest pain in kids is rarely their heart but here are 5 signs that you should be worried about:
- The pain is "crushing" or pressing down.
- There are other symptoms like passing out, nausea or skipping/racing heartbeats.
- The pain is brought on by exercise.
- There is a medical history that would worry you (examples are a history of heart disease, Kawasaki disease or Marfan syndrome).
- There is a history of a murmur.
And here are 5 other common causes of chest pain:
- Muscular or chest wall pain. The pain comes back when you touch their ribs or chest.
- Reflux. The pain is after meals or described as burning.
- Anxiety. The pain is associated with stressful situations.
- Lungs. The pain is associated with a deep breath or there is a history of asthma.
- Who knows? It's fairly common that we can't figure out where it came from but this should only be said after everything else has been considered or checked for.
Get to know Justin Smith, M.D.
Justin Smith, M.D., is a pediatrician in Trophy Club and the Medical Advisor for Digital Health for Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Smith is an experienced keynote speaker for a variety of topics including pediatric/parenting topics, healthcare social media and physician leadership. If you are interested in having Dr. Smith present to your conference or meeting, please contact him at thedocsmitty@cookchildrens.org.
He has an active community on both Facebook and Twitter as @TheDocSmitty and writes weekly for Cook Children's checkupnewsroom.com. He believes that strategic use of social media and technology by pediatricians to connect with families can deepen their relationship and provide a new level of convenience for both of their busy lifestyles. Dr. Smith’s innovative pediatric clinic, a pediatric clinic “designed by you,” open now. Click to learn more. To make an appointment, call 817-347-8100.
