Chest pain is often a symptom of an underlying health condition. This pain can develop anywhere in the chest and vary in severity. Recognizing and addressing the cause here is crucial for managing the condition. Based on the trigger, a healthcare professional can recommend treatments that help prevent serious complications. So, it is important to keep an eye out for potential causes and also lower the risk of health issues that cause chest pain.

1. Cardiovascular problems
Acute coronary syndrome
This medical condition arises because of decreased blood flow in the coronary arteries. This leads to the heart muscles not functioning properly. The most common symptom is upper left chest pain along with pain in the shoulders, nausea, and sweating.

Heart attack
The most common cause of upper left chest pain is associated with a heart attack, which happens because of left ventricular impairment. Individuals experience severe chest pain along with left arm pain, vomiting, and excessive sweating.

Myocarditis
This is a medical condition where a viral infection causes inflammation of the heart muscles. Myocarditis causes pain in the chest, breathlessness, and irregular heartbeat.

Pericarditis
Pericarditis is a condition resulting from a viral infection such as Coxsackie virus, echovirus, tuberculosis, or uremia. The chest pain caused by this is associated with respiration and worsens when the affected individual is lying down.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
It is a genetic disease where the heart muscle grows abnormally thick. This causes upper left chest pain and a disturbance in physical activities.

Mitral valve prolapse
This condition causes an improper closing of the heart valve. The common symptoms are chest pain, dizziness, and breathlessness.

2. Respiratory problems
Pneumonia
It is an inflammatory condition of the lung affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. The common symptoms include some pain in the chest, dry cough, and fever.

Tuberculosis
It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria and it affects the lungs. This disease also causes chest pain.

3. Gastrointestinal problems
Esophageal disorders
Muscle contractions in the esophagus can cause pain in the chest.

Esophageal hypersensitivity
This condition occurs when the esophagus becomes extremely painful when you exert a little pressure.

Esophageal perforation
A sudden, severe chest pain followed by vomiting may be a sign of a rupture in the esophagus.

4. Bone and nerve problems
Fractures in the ribs, osteoarthritis, and muscle strain can cause pain in the chest.

5. Psychological problems
Some of the other causes of upper left chest pain are stress, anxiety, and panic attacks.