About chest pain in children and teenagers

Chest pain is very common in children and teenagers.

The pain might be in any part of the chest, and it can have many causes.

A common cause of chest pain in children and teenagers is muscle strain in the chest wall after frequent coughing. This can happen if your child has asthma or an infection of the airways or lungs like a cold or the flu.

Chest pain in children and teenagers might also be caused by swelling of the rib and breastbone joints. This is called costochondritis, and it can happen because of a viral infection or frequent coughing. Children’s rib joints might feel tender if pressed, and deep breathing might be painful. Costochondritis can last for several weeks. It goes away by itself.

Another common cause of chest pain in children and teenagers is a ‘stitch’ below the rib cage. This is a sharp pain that lasts several minutes and might start after exercise. It’s not harmful.

Precordial catch syndrome is a sudden, intense sharp pain along the chest or back. The pain gets worse while breathing in. It can last for several minutes and then disappear completely. It’s not harmful and tends to get better with time. It’s common in teenagers.

If your child has fallen on their side or had a blow to the chest and complains of chest pain, they might have injured a rib or a muscle in the chest wall.

Stress or anxiety can cause chest pain. It can also make chest pain from another cause feel worse.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux can cause a burning or uncomfortable feeling in the chest.

Heart disease is a very rare cause of chest pain in children.

Medical help: when to get it for children and teenagers with chest pain

You should take your child to your GP if their chest pain:

• doesn’t go away with simple pain relief or it gets worse
• happens during exercise
• happens regularly.

You should take your child to an emergency department or dial 000 for an ambulance straight away if your child complains of severe chest pain, or your child has chest pain and also:

• is short of breath or sweaty
• has pain that travels to the neck or left shoulder and arm
• has a very fast heart rate
• feels faint or dizzy
• has recently been injured
• has a fever or looks unwell
• seems confused.

If your child has chest pain and risk factors for a serious heart condition, they should also seek medical attention. These risk factors include:

• congenital heart disease or previous heart surgery
• previous Kawasaki disease
• a blood, inflammation or cholesterol disorder
• chronic lung or airway disease
• type-1 diabetes or type-2 diabetes
• a history of using stimulating drugs like cocaine.

Treatment for chest pain

In most cases, chest pain isn’t serious.

If your child has chest pain without any of the symptoms or risk factors above, you can reassure your child so they feel less worried about the pain.

You can give your child a simple pain medicine like paracetamol or ibuprofen in recommended doses to help your child feel more comfortable.