Chest pain has many causes — most are not the heart, but the heart must always be excluded first. At Mascot Healthcare, Akoka, we assess chest pain urgently with clinical examination, ECG, and targeted blood tests. Walk-in from ₦5,000.
Tight, heavy, or squeezing pain in the centre of the chest — may radiate to the left arm, jaw, or back. Classic cardiac ischaemia. Urgent.
Emergency — go to A&E if severeA burning sensation behind the breastbone — particularly after meals, on lying flat, or at night. Usually GERD (acid reflux).
Assessment + antacid treatmentPleuritic pain — sharp, worse with deep breath — may indicate pleuritis, costochondritis, or pulmonary embolism.
Assessment + blood testsHeart racing or irregular with chest discomfort — warrants ECG to assess rhythm.
ECG + assessmentTightness and difficulty breathing during stress or panic — anxiety and panic disorder frequently cause chest symptoms.
Clinical assessmentReproducible pain on pressing the chest wall — costochondritis (inflammation of the rib cartilages). Benign, treated with NSAIDs.
Clinical diagnosisThe most common cause of chest pain in primary care in Lagos. Acid from the stomach refluxing into the oesophagus causes a burning sensation behind the breastbone — often worse after meals, bending forward, or lying down. Commonly confused with cardiac pain by patients and sometimes by clinicians.
Costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage connecting ribs to sternum) causes localised chest pain reproducible on pressing the chest wall. Very common, benign, and treated with NSAIDs.
Angina (pain on exertion relieved by rest) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS — pain at rest, prolonged, associated with sweating and nausea). An ECG and troponin blood test are the essential investigations. If cardiac ischaemia is strongly suspected, immediate hospital referral is arranged.
Chest tightness, breathlessness, and palpitations during panic attacks mimic cardiac symptoms. The clinical distinction requires excluding cardiac cause first.
Management at Mascot Healthcare depends entirely on the clinical assessment:
Urgent chest pain assessment at Mascot Healthcare, Akoka. ECG available. Walk-in from ₦5,000.