NHS website

Most chest pain isn't a sign of anything serious but you should get medical advice just in case. Get immediate medical help if you think you're having a heart attack.

Non-urgent advice: Call 999 if you have sudden chest pain that:

spreads to your arms, back, neck or jaw
makes your chest feel tight or heavy
also started with shortness of breath, sweating and feeling or being sick
lasts more than 15 minutes

You could be having a heart attack. Call 999 immediately as you need immediate treatment in hospital.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP or go to your local walk-in centre if:

you have chest pain that comes and goes
you have chest pain that goes away quickly but you're still worried

It's important to get medical advice to make sure it's nothing serious.

Find a walk-in centre

Common causes of chest pain

Chest pain has many different causes – only the most common are listed below. In most cases, chest pain is not caused by a heart problem.

Your symptoms might give you an idea of the cause. Don't self-diagnose – see your GP if you're worried.

Chest pain and heart problems

The most common heart problems that cause chest pain include:

pericarditis – which usually causes a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or lie down
angina or a heart attack – which have similar symptoms but a heart attack is life-threatening

You're more likely to have heart problems if you're older or know you're at risk of coronary heart disease.

For example, if you:

smoke
are very overweight (obese)
have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol
have a history of heart attacks or angina in family members under 60 years old