Non-Cardiac Chest Pain as a Persistent Physical Symptom: Psychological Distress and Workability 2023 Ólafsdóttir Flóvenz et al

Abstract

Non-Cardiac Chest Pain (NCCP) is persistent chest pain in the absence of identifiable cardiac pathology. Some NCCP cases meet criteria for Persistent Physical Symptoms (PPS), where the symptoms are both persistent and distressing/disabling. This study aimed to identify patients that might need specialist treatment for PPS by examining cases of NCCP that meet PPS criteria.

We analysed data from 285 chest pain patients that had received an NCCP diagnosis after attending an emergency cardiac department. We compared NCCP patients who did and did not meet the additional criteria for heart-related PPS and hypothesised that the groups would differ in terms of psychological variables and workability.

We determined that NCCP patients who meet PPS criteria were more likely than other NCCP patients to be inactive or unable to work, reported more general anxiety and anxiety about their health, were more depressed, ruminated more, and, importantly, had a higher number of other PPS.

A high proportion of NCCP patients meet PPS criteria, and they are similar to other PPS patients in terms of comorbidity and disability. This highlights the importance of focusing psychological interventions for this subgroup on the interplay between the range of physical and psychological symptoms present.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2521

 

I had to read it again to check but I think the main point is being hidden by initials NCP and PPS.

So the translation is - some people with non cardiac chest pain have symptoms which are persistent, distressing and disabling. We found these people to be inactive or unable to work, reported more general anxiety and anxiety about their health, were more depressed, and thought about their symptoms more.

Seems a natural thing to happen.

They conclude

Maybe looking for the physical cause of the pain so that the patients can get back to a normal life would be better all round.

 

A common cause for chest pain that can even feel like a heart attack is acid reflux. Might easily be dismissed as a cause of nccp.

 

I had Non-Cardiac Chest Pain for a few years. It got fixed (by me, by accident). I didn't know that low iron caused chest pain at the time. I just knew I was terribly unwell and very, very weak. I massively improved my below range iron levels and my deficient ferritin. I haven't had chest pain for several years having treated myself with iron supplements over a long period of time.

I also found while I was improving my iron that it gave me an amazing reduction in anxiety (which wasn't very bad) and depression (which was very bad).