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Hello, I Am 27 Years Old Female And Never Smoke
Question: hello, I am 27 years old female and never smoke or drinking. I have chesty cough for a week. since three days ago I have moderate pain on my right chest just below the breast. when I touch it I feel a lot of pain and it hurts whenever I cough. the pain is getting worse if I dont sit straight. now its hard to breath with ease. can I know what disease I have?
Brief Answer:
Costochondritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. Especially with tenderness when you palpate the area, I would strongly suspect costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage of the ribs) or simply a muscle/ligament strain. This would also typically hurt whenever you coughed. It could be from a virus that would also be causing your cough, or it could be that the cough has caused a strain in that area.
Either way, the initial treatment would be with anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen and Tylenol. You can also apply cold to the area to decrease the inflammation. Trying to rest as much as possible can also help.
Usually this would resolve within a few weeks, but sometimes costochondritis can persist for several months. If you are still having the pain after a month, or if the pain persists or worsens despite taking medication, I would have a doctor examine you to make sure this is the right diagnosis.
Other possibilities that can cause chest pain with breathing/coughing include pneumonia, pneumothorax, or pulmonary embolism, but these would not typically have tenderness that you can touch. However, if you are having a fever, or worsening shortness of breath, you should get evaluated to make sure you don't have any of these.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Costochondritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. Especially with tenderness when you palpate the area, I would strongly suspect costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage of the ribs) or simply a muscle/ligament strain. This would also typically hurt whenever you coughed. It could be from a virus that would also be causing your cough, or it could be that the cough has caused a strain in that area.
Either way, the initial treatment would be with anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen and Tylenol. You can also apply cold to the area to decrease the inflammation. Trying to rest as much as possible can also help.
Usually this would resolve within a few weeks, but sometimes costochondritis can persist for several months. If you are still having the pain after a month, or if the pain persists or worsens despite taking medication, I would have a doctor examine you to make sure this is the right diagnosis.
Other possibilities that can cause chest pain with breathing/coughing include pneumonia, pneumothorax, or pulmonary embolism, but these would not typically have tenderness that you can touch. However, if you are having a fever, or worsening shortness of breath, you should get evaluated to make sure you don't have any of these.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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