Objective: Chest pain is a common presentation in the pediatric emergency department (PED). In the majority of cases, no clear medical cause is found. Among adults with noncardiac chest pain, psychopathology including panic disorder is common. We assessed the likelihood and type of psychopathology as well as the health status of children and adolescents with unexplained chest pain who presented to the PED.Methods: We performed a semistructured diagnostic interview of children 8 to 17 years old who presented to an urban, tertiary-care PED with a primary complaint of chest pain for which no medical cause was found. We used Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria to diagnose psychopathology. We also assessed pain severity, extent of other somatic complaints, quality of life, and functional disability using standard, validated instruments.
Results:We enrolled 32 children with a mean age of 12.8 (SD, 2.9) years (range, 8Y17 years); 47% were female. Twenty-six (81%) were diagnosed with a Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition anxiety disorder; 9 (28%) had full-criteria panic disorder. Quality of life was compromised in multiple domains, and children reported a range of functional disabilities due to chest pain. Other somatic symptoms, including other pain complaints, were commonly reported in this sample.Conclusion: Unexplained chest pain in the PED is frequently associated with potentially treatable anxiety disorders. Emergency physicians should consider the possibility of anxiety disorders in patients with medically unexplained chest pain.C hest pain is a common complaint in the pediatric emergency department (PED). 1Y3 Annually, it accounts for roughly 400,000 emergency visits in the United States for individuals 18 years or younger. 4 Chest pain presents a significant clinical burden for the pediatric emergency room physician 5 and is one of the more common reasons for performing electrocardiograms in the PED. 6 It is also a frequent cause for seeking pediatric cardiologist consultation within the hospital setting 7 and is among the most common reasons for referral to the pediatric cardiologist. 8 Prior to adulthood, chest pain is only rarely an indication of cardiac disease. In studies of children with chest pain, prevalence of cardiac abnormalities ranges from 0% to 10%. 2,3,9Y11 Noncardiac medical diagnoses are common, including musculoskeletal conditions such as costochondritis, 12 pulmonary conditions such as asthma or pneumonia, 13,14 gastrointestinal illnesses, 15,16 or other identifiable causes such as cocaine use. 17 However, most cases have no clear medical explanation. 18 Despite the overall benign medical picture, pediatric chest pain often persists for years after the first visit to the PED or specialist. 19,20 Some children with chest pain make repeated visits for additional medical testing. 21 Many experience disability, including school absence and sleep abnormalities. 2,19,22 Our objective was to conduct a pilot study to determine the li...