Diagnostic Evaluation of Nontraumatic Chest Pain in Athletes

Abstract

This article is a clinically relevant review of the existing medical literature relating to the assessment and diagnostic evaluation for athletes complaining of nontraumatic chest pain. The literature was searched using the following databases for the years 1975 forward: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; CINAHL; PubMed (MEDLINE); and SportDiscus. The general search used the keywords chest pain and athletes. The search was revised to include subject headings and subheadings, including chest pain and prevalence and athletes. Cross-referencing published articles from the databases searched discovered additional articles. No dissertations, theses, or meeting proceedings were reviewed. The authors discuss the scope of this complex problem and the diagnostic dilemma chest pain in athletes can provide. Next, the authors delve into the vast differential and attempt to simplify this process for the sports medicine physician by dividing potential etiologies into cardiac and noncardiac conditions. Life-threatening causes of chest pain in athletes may be cardiac or noncardiac in origin, which highlights the need for the sports medicine physician to consider pathology in multiple organ systems simultaneously. This article emphasizes the importance of ruling out immediately life threatening diagnoses, while acknowledging the most common causes of noncardiac chest pain in young athletes are benign. The authors propose a practical algorithm the sports medicine physician can use as a guide for the assessment and diagnostic work-up of the athlete with chest pain designed to help the physician arrive at the correct diagnosis in a clinically efficient and cost-effective manner.

Epipericardial fat necrosis as a differential diagnosis of acute chest pain: a case report and algorithm proposal for diagnostic approach

“…The prognosis is good, and there have been no reports of chronic pain, recurrence, chronic pericarditis, or tamponade. (5)(6)(7)(10)(11)(12)(13)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) ❚ CONCLUSION This case report describes the most common presentation of epipericardial fat necrosis in young healthy patients with pleuritic acute chest pain and negative emergency department work-up for more prevalent cardiovascular and pulmonary etiologies. Chest radiography revealed mild changes.…”

“…(6) Despite the appropriate tendency for early discharge, some conditions may require further investigation and specific treatment. (7) Epipericardial fat necrosis usually presents as a newonset pleuritic chest pain in young healthy patients. (8,9) einstein (São Paulo).…”

Diagnostic Value of a New Modified HEART Score for Fatal Chest Pain Risk Stratification in Emergency Department

“…Because of many clinical causes, it is often unable to judge the severity of the disease in time and may delay the treatment. It is found that chest pain is the main manifestation of cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction [1,2]. The incidence rate and mortality rate of acute myocardial infarction in China are increasing.…”

Síndrome coronario agudo en el paciente joven

“…Los principales motivos de consulta por "dolor en el pecho" en adultos jóvenes son de causa músculo-esquelética, seguido de causas pulmonares, psiquiátricas y cardíacas 3 .…”