Precordial catch syndrome | |
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Other names | Texidor's twinge [1] |
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One of the areas more commonly affected in precordial catch syndrome [1] | |
Specialty | Pediatrics, family medicine |
Symptoms | Sharp, stabbing chest pain in a small area [1] |
Usual onset | Sudden [1] |
Duration | 30 seconds-3 minutes [1] |
Causes | Unclear [1] |
Differential diagnosis | Angina, pericarditis, pleurisy, chest trauma [1] |
Treatment | Reassurance [1] |
Prognosis | Good [1] |
Frequency | Relatively common [1] |
Precordial catch syndrome (PCS) is a non-serious condition in which there are sharp stabbing pains in the chest. These typically get worse with inhaling and occur within a small area. Spells of pain usually last less than a few minutes. Typically it begins at rest and other symptoms are absent. Concerns about the condition may result in anxiety. [1]
The underlying cause is unclear. Some believe the pain may be from the chest wall or irritation of an intercostal nerve. [1] [2] Risk factors include psychological stress. [2] The pain is not due to the heart. Diagnosis is based on the symptoms. Other conditions that may produce similar symptoms include angina, pericarditis, pleurisy, and chest trauma. [1]
Treatment is usually via reassurance, as the pain generally resolves without any specific treatment. Precordial catch syndrome is relatively common, and children between the ages of 6 and 12 are most commonly affected. Males and females are affected equally. [1] It is less common in adults. [2] The condition has been described since at least 1893. [3]
Characteristic symptoms include sharp stabbing pains in the chest. These typically get worse with breathing in and occur within a small area. Spells of pain usually last less than a few minutes. Typically it begins at rest and other symptoms are absent. Concerns about the condition may result in anxiety, with sufferers often fearing that the pain is a sign of a more serious condition. Similar anxieties in those who experience the syndrome on a regular basis may manifest as a worry of the syndrome itself happening, with patients feeling scared to take fuller breaths in fear of triggering a spell. [1]
The underlying cause is unclear. [1] Some believe the pain may be from the chest wall or irritation of an intercostal nerve. [1] [2] Psychological stress is correlated with precordial catch syndrome. [2] The pain is not due to the heart. [1]
Treatment is usually via reassurance, as the pain generally resolves without any specific treatment. Occasionally it goes away after a couple of breaths. [1]
There is no known cure for PCS; however, PCS is not believed to be dangerous or life-threatening. Many see the worst part about PCS to be the fear that this chest pain is an indicator of a heart attack or other more serious condition. As the condition is not dangerous or life-threatening, there is no reason to take medication, although some people may choose to refrain from some normal activities such as physical exercise, as this can exacerbate the pain, particularly if it occurs during physical activity.
The syndrome was first described and named in 1893 by Henri Huchard, [3] a French cardiologist, who called it "précordialgie" (from the latin "praecordia" meaning "before the heart"), or "Syndrôme de Huchard" ("Huchard syndrome"). [4] [5] The term "precordial" had entered the French medical lexicon with the 1370 translation of Guy de Chauliac's Chirurgia magna . [6] Previously, the Latin term "praecordia" had been used to refer to the diaphragm, a sense now obsolete. [6] [7]
The Huchard syndrome was then studied more deeply by Miller and Texidor, medical practitioners at the Cardiovascular Department and the Department of Medicine at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, in 1955. [8] They reported the condition in 10 patients, one being Miller himself. In 1978, PCS was discussed by Sparrow and Bird who reported 45 with it, and that it was probably more frequent than generally assumed. [9] PCS in American children has been discussed by Pickering in 1981 [10] and by Reynolds in 1989. [11] Gumbiner reviews PCS as a diagnosis in his 2003 article. [1] Incidences of PCS in swimmers with asthma was analyzed in Hayes, et al.'s article in 2016, constituting the most recent English-language article on the syndrome as of May 2023 [update] . [12]
PCS may refer to:
Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease.
Tietze syndrome is a benign inflammation of one or more of the costal cartilages. It was first described in 1921 by German surgeon Alexander Tietze and was subsequently named after him. The condition is characterized by tenderness and painful swelling of the anterior (front) chest wall at the costochondral, sternocostal, or sternoclavicular junctions. Tietze syndrome affects the true ribs and has a predilection for the 2nd and 3rd ribs, commonly affecting only a single joint.
Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with nausea, sweating, or shortness of breath. It can be divided into heart-related and non-heart-related pain. Pain due to insufficient blood flow to the heart is also called angina pectoris. Those with diabetes or the elderly may have less clear symptoms.
Costochondritis, also known as chest wall pain syndrome or costosternal syndrome, is a benign inflammation of the upper costochondral and sternocostal joints. 90% of patients are affected in multiple ribs on a single side, typically at the 2nd to 5th ribs. Chest pain, the primary symptom of costochondritis, is considered a symptom of a medical emergency, making costochondritis a common presentation in the emergency department. One study found costochondritis was responsible for 30% of patients with chest pain in an emergency department setting.
Paget–Schroetter disease is a form of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a medical condition in which blood clots form in the deep veins of the arms. These DVTs typically occur in the axillary and/or subclavian veins.
Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette was a French neurologist and the namesake of Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition characterized by tics. His main contributions in medicine were in the fields of hypnotism and hysteria.
Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), also known as persisting symptoms after concussion, is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, years after a concussion. PCS is medically classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 35% of people with concussion experience persistent or prolonged symptoms 3 to 6 months after injury. Prolonged concussion is defined as having concussion symptoms for over four weeks following the first accident in youth and for weeks or months in adults.
Pneumomediastinum is pneumatosis in the mediastinum, the central part of the chest cavity. First described in 1819 by René Laennec, the condition can result from physical trauma or other situations that lead to air escaping from the lungs, airways, or bowel into the chest cavity. In underwater divers it is usually the result of pulmonary barotrauma.
Joseph Honoré Simon Beau was a French physician, who is famous for his investigations of the physiology of the heart and the lungs.
Désiré-Magloire Bourneville was a French neurologist born in Garencières.
Louis Alfred Becquerel was a French physician and medical researcher.
Jean-Pierre Falret was a French psychiatrist. He was born and died in Marcilhac-sur-Célé.
Frédéric Labadie-Lagrave was a French physician who made important contributions to medical literature.
Schnitzler syndrome or Schnitzler's syndrome is a rare disease characterised by onset around middle age of chronic hives (urticaria) and periodic fever, bone pain and joint pain, weight loss, malaise, fatigue, swollen lymph glands and enlarged spleen and liver.
Louis Gallavardin was a French physician and cardiologist remembered for the Gallavardin phenomenon.
Henri Huchard was a French neurologist and cardiologist born in Auxon, Aube.
Georges Octave Dujardin-Beaumetz was a French physician and hygienist. He was the father of biologist Édouard Dujardin-Beaumetz (1868–1947).
Paul Briquet or Pierre Briquet was a French physician and psychologist who advanced the reasoned treatment of disturbed people said to be hysterics.
Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is a condition in which the interchondral ligaments are weakened or disrupted and have increased laxity, causing the costal cartilage tips to subluxate. This results in pain or discomfort due to pinched or irritated intercostal nerves, straining of the intercostal muscles, and inflammation. The condition affects the 8th, 9th, and 10th ribs, referred to as the false ribs, with the 10th rib most commonly affected.