Is your chest pain due to a heart attack or something else?

Chest pain can often be experienced in different forms and at different intensities, depending on what is triggering the symptoms. It can be difficult to distinguish heart-related chest pain from other conditions that can cause pain in the chest. 

Many medical conditions can mimic a heart attack. Some of these are a sign of something urgent that needs addressing right away, and others have nothing to do with the heart. 

Here we outline some of the types of chest pain and what they might mean. It is important not to ignore the symptoms; but don’t self-diagnose, see a GP if you are worried. 

If you think you are having a heart attack, call 999 immediately.