Chest pain in women

Abstract

Chest pain, as a presenting complaint, is very common in a primary care practice setting. Several different diagnostic entities may present in a similar fashion. To adequately categorize the patient's condition, the physician must be thorough in obtaining the historical factors that differentiate the various type of chest pain. The physical exam is frequently not helpful in making the diagnosis. The initial goal is to determine whether or not a life-threatening condition is present. Diagnostic testing, directed at a focused differential diagnosis, will often yield the cause of the patient's symptoms. Occasionally, a specific etiology will not be found. However, if a standard approach to this complaint as outlined in this review is followed, the physician should be able to identify which conditions require immediate work-up and which can be followed less intensively on an out-patient basis.