Does the pain go from your chest into your shoulder, arm, neck, jaw, or back?.Is the pain getting worse? How long does the pain last?.Can you make the pain happen by pressing on a part of your chest?.Does the pain get better or worse when you walk or change positions?.Does it begin suddenly? Does the pain occur at the same time each day?.How would you describe the pain? (severe, tearing or ripping, sharp, stabbing, burning, squeezing, tight, pressure-like, crushing, aching, dull, heavy).Is the pain between the shoulder blades? Under the breast bone? Does the pain change location? Is it on one side only?.Chest pain lasts longer than 3 to 5 days.You have chest pain that is severe and does not go away.
![upper chest discomfort and rash upper chest discomfort and rash](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Miliaria_rubra_mild.jpg)
You have a fever or a cough that produces yellow-green phlegm.
![upper chest discomfort and rash upper chest discomfort and rash](https://assets.nhs.uk/nhsuk-cms/images/S_1017_Pityriasis_rosea_C0269085_s4FBuRz.width-320.jpg)
![upper chest discomfort and rash upper chest discomfort and rash](https://www.verywellhealth.com/thmb/wq1FPqD88NYueULbgR1X5ufJOfU=/4168x2344/smart/filters:no_upscale()/3232847_color1-5c0191cec9e77c00013b3053.png)
Shingles, which causes sharp, tingling pain on one side that stretches from the chest to the back, and may cause a rash.Inflammation where the ribs join the breast bone or sternum ( costochondritis).Panic attack, which often occurs with fast breathing.Swelling of the lining around the lung ( pleurisy) can cause chest pain that usually feels sharp, and often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.Pneumonia causes a sharp chest pain that often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.A blood clot in the lung ( pulmonary embolism).Swelling (inflammation) in the sac that surrounds the heart ( pericarditis) causes pain in the center part of the chest.A tear in the wall of the aorta, the large blood vessel that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body ( aortic dissection) causes sudden, severe pain in the chest and upper back.The pain may spread to the arm, shoulder, jaw, or back. The most common symptom is chest pain that may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. Heart or blood vessel problems that can cause chest pain: