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Published on: 5/6/2025

When Should I Be Concerned about Pain in the Right Side of My Chest?

While right-sided chest pain is often less linked to heart problems, you should be concerned if the pain is severe, persistent, or comes with other worrisome symptoms like difficulty breathing, fever, or dizziness.

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Explanation

Right-sided chest pain is usually caused by issues in the lungs, chest wall, or even muscle strain. Often, it isn’t a sign of a heart attack because heart problems tend to produce pain more commonly on the left side. However, you should be more cautious if the pain is severe, doesn’t go away, or if it is accompanied by other symptoms. For example, if you have trouble breathing, feel dizzy, experience sweating or a rapid heartbeat, or if the pain spreads to other parts of your body, it could indicate a more serious condition. Also, if the pain started suddenly, especially after an injury or during physical activity, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention. Persistent or worsening pain might suggest conditions such as lung infections, pleurisy (inflammation of the tissue around the lungs), or even issues with the chest wall itself. In any of these cases, it’s important to get checked by a doctor who can evaluate your symptoms properly with tests or imaging studies, ensuring you receive the right treatment quickly.

(References)

  • Reamy BV, Williams PM, Odom MR. Pleuritic Chest Pain: Sorting Through the Differential Diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. 2017 Sep 1;96(5):306-312. PMID: 28925655.

  • Albores J, Fishbein G, Bando J. A 34-Year-Old Woman With Recurrent Right-Sided Chest Pain and Dyspnea. Chest. 2015 Nov;148(5):e148-e151. doi: 10.1378/chest.15-0813. PMID: 26527442.

  • Beunderman R, Sramek M, Koster RW, Garssen B, van Dis H. Differentieel-diagnostische criteria bij cardiale klachten; pijn links of rechts op de borst? [Criteria for differential diagnosis in cardial symptoms; left- or right-sided chest pain?]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 1990 Nov 17;134(46):2249-52. Dutch. PMID: 2255353.

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