Chest pain has many types as it appears from a sharp stubborn pain to a dull ache. Gas cause chest pain is one of the most common symptoms. Sometimes chest pain feels like burning or crushing. The causes of chest pain depend on the reasons, and every type of chest pain is scary. It is the common cause of chest pain, especially in chronic constipation patients. Gas feels like a stabbing or burning sensation in a person’s abdomen, but a person mostly experiences chest pain on the left side. Pain in the chest may feel like a general tightness or jabbing pains in the chest area.
Causes:
Foods or beverages that generate gas are wheat, beans, garlic, onions, dairy products, soda, and fatty foods. The leading causes of gas pain and chest pain are as follows:
- Heartburn:
Commonly, it is indigestion that feels like a burning sensation in the chest area. One can feel a burning sensation in a chest from a few minutes to hours. It has been caused by leakage of stomach acid in the esophagus.
- Food poisoning:
Contaminated food may often cause gas pain in the chest region, called food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning may include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
- Food intolerance:
Food intolerance also causes extra gas by disturbing the digestive system. The two leading causes of gas buildup are gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance. Moreover, nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, excess gas, and headache are the common causes of food intolerance.
- Excessive carbonation:
Carbonated beverages like soda, sparkling water, or tonic water have carbon dioxide gas. Consuming too many carbonated drinks can cause discomfort, heartburn, and belching.
- Artificial sweeteners:
Artificial sweeteners like xylitol, sucralose, and sorbitol may cause headaches and excessive gas in the chest.
- Digestive conditions:
Different digestive conditions cause gas pain in the chest. For example, inflammatory bowel disease, also called IBD, is mainly used for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The common symptoms of both disorders are abdominal pain, diarrhea, reduced appetite, weight loss, rectal bleeding, and fatigue. The other infection, like Diabetes mellitus, also causes chest pain that radiates to the neck. These are the symptoms of inflammatory conditions, which may include:
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
- Excess flatulence
- Sweating
- Irritable bowel syndrome:
It is a noninflammatory condition, commonly known as IBS, which affects the digestive system. IBS also causes gas pain in the chest. Other symptoms are abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and cramps.
- Swallowing air:
The swallowing air while drinking or eating can become trapped in the digestive system. Excessive swallowing air can build gas in the digestive system that causes gas pain in the abdomen or chest. The other symptoms are flatulence, belching, and bloating.
- Gallbladder diseases:
Gallbladder diseases like Gallstones may cause excessive gas and chest pain. These are the other symptoms such as:
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Chills
- Vomiting
- Reduced appetite
- Restlessness
- Pale stools
- Excessive fiber intake:
Consuming too much fiber may cause excess gas because excessive fiber productions stay in the gut for a long time. The symptoms are abdominal pain, constipation, and bloating.
Symptoms of gas pain and chest pain:
When people feel gas pains, they notice a tightness, fullness, or discomfort in the chest area. These are the other symptoms of gas pain in the chest, which may include:
- Bloating
- Burping
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Excess flatulence
- Belching
Gas pain in the chest pain near the heart:
Gas pain has been accompanied by heartburn, abdominal pain, acid reflux, or flatulence in the chest. On the other side, heart pain feels like pressure on the left side or center of the chest. It has different symptoms from gas pain, so an individual identifies heart pain as suddenly appearing. If an individual experiences chest pain with shortness of breath, nausea, chest discomfort, or cold sweating, these are heart attack symptoms.
Diagnosis:
One should consult a gastroenterologist to diagnose digestive problems. The gastroenterologist can suggest an electrocardiogram (ECG) to detect heart problems. For further findings, a doctor can suggest additional tests to detect the causes of chest pain.
- Skin or blood tests he may recommend for food intolerance or allergies.
- Tests can suggest inflammatory disorders like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
- Endoscopy (EGD) detects damage in the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. The doctor determines digestive symptoms, like vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, and reduced appetite.
- The stool test is used to find the symptoms of blood associated with IBS or Crohn’s disease.
- CT scan or abdominal ultrasound is used to take detailed images of the abdominal organs such as the gallbladder and stomach.
Treatment of gas pain and chest pain:
These home remedies are best to reduce the gas pain in the chest as follows:
- Drink noncarbonated beverages:
An individual should drink an excess amount of noncarbonated beverages to prevent excessive gas intake. In addition, herbal teas like peppermint or ginger may cause antiflatulent effects.
- Ginger:
Ginger helps in resolving digestive problems. Researchers suggest people eat fresh ginger or make ginger tea to prevent gas.
- Exercise:
Exercise is essential to move gas from the body and improve the digestive system. Any physical activity such as a brisk jog or a long walk might help eliminate the gas pain.
- Avoid digestive triggers:
Carbonated drinks such as sodas, dairy products, gluten, and caffeinated beverages often cause gas pain, so avoid these products.
- Medical treatments:
Different effective medicines that are helpful to prevent gas pain from the chest are as follows:
- Bismuth subsalicylate is used to treat heartburn, diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach, and to ease indigestion problems.
- It is compulsory to consult a gastroenterologist for chronic conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, GERD or IBS, and take proper medicines.
- Food poisoning patients can mostly recover from home remedies like hydration, soft food, and proper rest. For severe cases, patients need to take antibiotics.
Prevention:
People should follow some preventive measures such as avoiding digestive triggers to prevent gas pain, such as:
- Spicy and oily food
- Carbonated and caffeinated beverages
- Contaminated food
- Sugar alcohol or artificial sweeteners
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320995
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chest-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20370838
https://www.hgsaiea.com/blog/301097-is-gas-causing-my-chest-pain#
https://www.healthline.com/health/gas-pain-in-chest#symptoms
https://www.tuasaude.com/en/chest-pain/