How Is Chest Pain Related to COVID-19 Symptoms?

Reviewed by Courtney Bloomer, DO

Emergency Medicine

Chest pain can be one of the symptoms seen during a COVID-19 infection, and some people may continue to have chest pain as part of post-COVID conditions.

Explanation

When you have COVID-19, the virus can affect your lungs and other parts of your body. This can cause chest pain because the virus makes the lungs work harder, sometimes hurting the lining around them. In some people, the infection can lead to pneumonia, blood clots or other problems in the heart and blood vessels, which may also result in chest pain. Even after you recover from the main infection, some people experience what is called post-COVID conditions or long COVID, where chest pain can continue for a while. This lasting pain might be due to ongoing inflammation or stress on the heart and lungs after the body has been fighting the virus. If you have chest pain during or after COVID-19, it is important to talk with a doctor. They may run tests like X-rays or blood work to be sure you get the proper care and to help ease your discomfort.

(References)

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Becker RC. Evaluating chest pain in patients with post COVID conditions permission to think outside of the box. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2023 May;55(4):592-603. doi: 10.1007/s11239-023-02808-8. Epub 2023 Apr 13. PMID: 37052772; PMCID: PMC10098243.
Alammouri I, Odeh AE, Alkhaled FA, Al-Zoubi RM, Alzagareet YM. Comparing the Prevalence and Characteristics of Chest Pain in Children and Adolescents Pre- and Post-COVID-19: A Retrospective Study. Cureus. 2024 Oct 14;16(10):e71407. doi: 10.7759/cureus.71407. PMID: 39539904; PMCID: PMC11558227.

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