Characteristics of chest pain among children presenting to the pediatric emergency department

• Published in: Journal of medicine and life Vol. 16; no. 11; pp. 1606 - 1610
• Main Authors: Alnaim, Abdulrahman Ahmad, AlGarni, Hasna Wafi, Al Ghadeer, Hussain Adil, Almulhim, Muteb Abdulrahman, Al Noaim, Khalid Ibrahim, Al Ghamdi, Mohammed Ahmad, Alahmari, Abdulaziz Abdullah, Al Alawi, Zainab Hejji, Alabdulqader, Muneera Abdulrahman, Alghazal, Manal Mustafa, Alhamad, Ohud Yousef, AlEissa, Ahmed Eissa, AlAmer, Ali Tawfiq
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Romania Carol Daila University Foundation 01.11.2023; Carol Davila University Press
• Subjects: Asthma; Chest Pain - diagnosis; Chest Pain - epidemiology; Chest Pain - etiology; Chi-square test; Child; Children & youth; Chronic illnesses; Demographics; Electrocardiography; Electrocardiography - adverse effects; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital; Hematology; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Original; Pain; Patients; Pediatrics; Pericarditis; Pneumonia; Retrospective Studies; X-rays; Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia; emergency department; children; nontraumatic; Chest pain; cardiac
• ISSN: 1844-3117; 1844-122X; 1844-3117
• DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0280

Chest pain in pediatric patients is a common concern in pediatric emergency departments (ED). In most cases, benign conditions are related to noncardiac causes, and only a minority of the cases are caused by heart disease. This research aimed to evaluate the causes and characteristics of chest pain among children in a pediatric emergency department. This retrospective study evaluated children younger than 14 years of age who presented to the emergency department of a general pediatric hospital in the Eastern area of Saudi Arabia with non-traumatic chest pain between 2017 and 2022. The data included socioeconomic information, physical examination findings, and the results of basic investigations, such as chest X-ray and electrocardiogram. The Chi-square test was performed to compare various etiologies, with a 5% significant level. The study evaluated 310 patients with a mean age of 9.1±2.7 years. The majority of children presenting with chest pain had normal physical examinations, except 3.3% who showed respiratory and cardiac findings. The diagnostic tests indicated pneumonia in 2.9% and arrhythmia in 2.1% of children. Most patients were discharged with a diagnosis of idiopathic or muscular chest pain. The majority of patients (95%) were treated symptomatically in outpatient settings, with just one patient requiring hospitalization. The most common cause of chest pain prompting a child to visit the ED was idiopathic chest pain. Therefore, this study highlights the significance of obtaining a comprehensive medical history and physical examination to reveal important clues and help avoid unnecessary tests.