Chest pain: a rheumatologist's perspective

Chest pain is a frequent patient complaint that requires a careful history and physical examination to determine its cause. Cardiac and esophageal causes of chest pain are common, but musculoskeletal disorders such as Tietze's syndrome, chest wall pain syndromes, fibrositis, inflammatory arthritic conditions, cervical osteoarthritis, and disease of the thoracic spine may also result in chest pain. Musculoskeletal diseases must be differentiated from other causes of chest pain, since specific treatment of these rheumatic conditions often produces good results.