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Adolescent chest pain
1Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana, California, USA.
American Family Physician
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Chest pain in adolescents is usually not serious, often stemming from musculoskeletal issues. Primary care physicians should offer support and follow-up for this common, often chronic, adolescent complaint.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Adolescent Health
- Cardiology
Background:
- Chest pain is a frequent concern in adolescent patients presenting to primary care.
- While often benign, differentiating serious from non-serious causes is crucial for appropriate management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the differential diagnosis of chest pain in adolescents.
- To guide the appropriate use of diagnostic testing in this population.
- To emphasize the role of primary care in managing adolescent chest pain.
Main Methods:
- Review of common causes of chest pain in adolescents.
- Discussion of diagnostic approaches based on history and physical examination.
- Consideration of cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and psychogenic etiologies.
Main Results:
- Musculoskeletal disorders are the most frequent identifiable cause of chest pain in adolescents.
- Serious organic pathology, including cardiac disease, is rare in this age group.
- Routine laboratory tests are often unhelpful unless guided by clinical findings.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent chest pain is typically benign, with musculoskeletal causes predominating.
- Diagnostic workup should be guided by clinical presentation, avoiding unnecessary testing.
- Primary care physicians play a vital role in providing support and follow-up for chronic adolescent chest pain.