Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsChest Hurts When Coughing: Emergency CausesChest Hurts When Coughing: Non-Emergency CausesAdditional Symptoms When It Hurts to CoughHow to Relieve Coughing and Chest Pain at HomeHospitalization for Chest Pain and Coughing
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Chest Hurts When Coughing: Emergency Causes
Chest Hurts When Coughing: Non-Emergency Causes
Additional Symptoms When It Hurts to Cough
How to Relieve Coughing and Chest Pain at Home
Hospitalization for Chest Pain and Coughing
Chest painwhen you cough is a common symptom of many health issues. While this problem can often improve without treatment, it can also alert you to a need for urgent care.
When chest pain from coughing is linked to a simple issue—like thecommon coldorallergies—it often improves when the cause is resolved. Sometimes, these symptoms point to a more severe cause, likeheart failureorpulmonary embolism. In these cases, knowing when to seek prompt treatment can often improve your outcomes.
This article describes how to know when having chest pain with coughing is a severe problem. It includes symptoms to observe and the types of treatments that are used at home and in the hospital.
FG Trade / Getty Images
If your chest hurts when coughing, your initial concern may involve a heart problem.
More than 8 million emergency room visits for chest pain occur in the United States annually. However, of these visits, only about 1 million involve acute coronary syndrome, with just 33% of these visits related to amyocardial infarction (heart attack).
Here are some of the most common emergency causes of chest pain with coughing:
Heart Failure
Heart failureis a condition in which your heart does not pump as well as it should. This can make daily activities difficult due tofatigueandshortness of breath.
Congestive heart failureis a type of heart failure that requires emergency treatment. It occurs when heart failure allows for the buildup of blood in your lungs, abdomen, feet, or arms. Congestive heart failure requires emergency treatment when medication fails, or the condition progresses without treatment.
In addition to chest pain, symptoms of congestive heart failure include the following:
Heart Attack
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to your heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. This can occur due toplaquebuildup that narrows your coronary arteries.
A heart attack occurs suddenly and intensely. Symptoms of a heart attack can include the following:
Acute Aortic Dissection
Acuteaortic dissectionis a life-threatening condition. It is a tear in the inner wall layer of youraorta(the major artery that carries blood out of your heart to the rest of your body).
When this occurs, blood leaks through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to dissect (separate). The blood flows between tissue layers, stopping or slowing the flow to other parts of your body.
Symptoms of acute aortic dissection include the following:
Pericarditis, Pericardial Effusion, and Cardiac Tamponade
Pericarditisis inflammation of thepericardium(the thin sac that surrounds your heart). The condition can have many causes, including infection, chest injury, heart attack, orimmune system disorders. It can causepericardial effusion(a condition in which fluid seeps into the pericardial sac). This can lead tocardiac tamponade(a condition that interferes with your heart’s ability to pump blood).
Symptoms of pericarditis include fever and chills. Other symptoms may include the following:
Pulmonary Embolism
Apulmonary embolismtypically occurs when a blood clot in the deep veins in your leg (deep vein thrombosis (DVT)) breaks off and travels to your lungs. The clot causes a sudden blockage in yourpulmonary arteries(blood vessels that send blood to your lungs).
The chest pain and cough that occur with a pulmonary embolism can include the following symptoms:
Pneumothorax
Apneumothoraxis a collapsed lung. It occurs when a hole in your lung develops and allows air to escape. This air fills the space outside your lung between your lung and chest wall. This buildup of air exerts pressure on your lung, so it can’t expand as much as it usually does when you take a breath.
Symptoms of a pneumothorax occur immediately and include the following:
Hemothorax
Ahemothoraxis a collection of blood in your pleural cavity (the space between your chest wall and lung). The most common causes of hemothorax include chest trauma, a blood clotting defect, lung infections, heart and lung surgery, and lung cancer.
Symptoms of a hemothorax can include the following:
Esophageal Perforation
Anesophageal perforationis a tear in youresophagus, the tube that links your mouth and stomach. It most often can be traced to medical procedures in which your esophagus is injured. Severe vomiting, ingesting caustic substances, or cancer can also be the cause. This condition is considered a medical emergency.
Symptoms of esophageal perforation include chest pain including the following:
Pulmonary Contusion (Bruised Lung): Causes and Treatments
Acute Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis, also known as a chest cold, is inflammation of thebronchi(breathing tubes that carry air to your lungs). Your bronchi can swell and make mucus when they become inflamed.
Symptoms of acute bronchitis include the following:
Common Cold
The following symptoms of a cold can start a few days after you are infected and last for up to two weeks:
Pneumonia
Pneumoniais a lung infection resulting from viruses, bacteria, fungi, or other substances entering your lungs. The problem can be mild but can progress to a severe condition in people withweakened immune systems.
Symptoms of pneumonia can vary based on how your body responds to this infection. Symptoms can include the following:
Intercostal Muscle Strain
Anintercostal muscle straininvolves the intercostal muscles that run between your ribs and form your chest wall. This strain typically occurs in athletes due to overstretching or muscle strain. It can also occur due to hard coughing or sneezing during illness, such as a bad cold or bronchitis.
Symptoms of intercostal muscle strain include the following:
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)is when stomach acid, food, or other stomach contents frequently flow back out of your stomach into your esophagus.
When the acid reaches your esophagus, it can cause a burning sensation or feeling like your chest burns when you cough. The most common symptom of GERD isheartburn(a burning pain behind your chest that may move up toward your neck, often after you eat).
While chest pain with coughing is not always an emergency, chest pain should not be ignored. If you have a history of heart disease,asthma, orlung disease, and any new chest pain, check with your healthcare provider to determine your next steps.
Chest Pain: When Symptoms Are and Aren’t Heart-Related
Paying attention to additional symptoms when it hurts to cough can serve as guidelines for determining whether coughing and chest pain may involve emergency causes.
Chest pain when you cough may be related to an impending heart attack. Seek emergency medical treatment or call 911 if you have the following symptoms:
The classic feeling of an “elephant on your chest” does not occur in every emergency heart problem. Nausea, shortness of breath, or indigestion may be the most significant symptoms. If you have any new chest pain and have a persistent feeling of being unwell or that something is wrong, you should seek emergency treatment.
Symptoms that occur with chest pain and coughing that are less likely to be an emergency like a heart attack include the following:
COVID-19 as a Cause of Chest Pain and CoughingChest pain with coughing can occur as a symptom ofCOVID-19. Like other symptoms of this disease, chest pain with coughing can range from mild to severe, with a wide range of variation.While most people can allow COVID-19 to run its course with home treatment, you may be at risk of severe outcomes if you are older, have weakened immune systems, heart or lung conditions, or other risk factors for COVID-19 complications.If you are at high risk of COVID-19 complications and have difficulty breathing, persistent cough, chest pain, or othersymptoms of an upper respiratory infection, consult your healthcare provider. Seek immediate attention if your symptoms include difficulty breathing.
COVID-19 as a Cause of Chest Pain and Coughing
Chest pain with coughing can occur as a symptom ofCOVID-19. Like other symptoms of this disease, chest pain with coughing can range from mild to severe, with a wide range of variation.While most people can allow COVID-19 to run its course with home treatment, you may be at risk of severe outcomes if you are older, have weakened immune systems, heart or lung conditions, or other risk factors for COVID-19 complications.If you are at high risk of COVID-19 complications and have difficulty breathing, persistent cough, chest pain, or othersymptoms of an upper respiratory infection, consult your healthcare provider. Seek immediate attention if your symptoms include difficulty breathing.
Chest pain with coughing can occur as a symptom ofCOVID-19. Like other symptoms of this disease, chest pain with coughing can range from mild to severe, with a wide range of variation.
While most people can allow COVID-19 to run its course with home treatment, you may be at risk of severe outcomes if you are older, have weakened immune systems, heart or lung conditions, or other risk factors for COVID-19 complications.
If you are at high risk of COVID-19 complications and have difficulty breathing, persistent cough, chest pain, or othersymptoms of an upper respiratory infection, consult your healthcare provider. Seek immediate attention if your symptoms include difficulty breathing.
You may be able to relieve coughing and chest pain at home if your symptoms are related to a non-emergency cause. Treatment may vary based on the underlying cause. Check with your healthcare provider if coughing and chest pain or other accompanying symptoms do not improve or begin to worsen.
Infections
As you wait for an infection to clear, the following strategies may help you deal with coughing and chest pain:
An intercostal muscle strain can usually heal on its own within a few weeks. Depending on the severity of your intercostal muscle strain, your healthcare provider may prescribe the following treatments to do at home to relieve chest pain while coughing:
GERD
GERD can often be managed at home with a combination of lifestyle changes and medication under the direction of a healthcare provider. The following strategies may be advised:
If hospitalization is required, your healthcare provider will individualize your treatment plan to address the underlying cause of your chest pain and coughing and the severity of your condition. Generally, the following treatments may be used for emergency heart conditions:
Heart Failure Treatments
Your healthcare provider may advise one or more of the following heart failure treatments during hospitalization:
Heart Attack Treatment
Hospitalization for a heart attack may involve the following treatments:
Hospitalization may also be required to deliver the following treatments for conditions that cause chest pain and coughing in your treatment plan:
Outcomes of Hospitalization for Chest Pain with Coughing
Prompt action and immediate medical treatment can improve your outcomes when dealing with most emergency causes of chest pain and coughing.
In other cases, simply having certain conditions can increase your risk of potential complications. Being hospitalized for new-onset heart failure has a high mortality rate for both short-term and long-survival.
Know your risk factors and reasons to call 911. Failure to seek emergency care when needed can result in treatment delays and potentially death, which may have been avoided with immediate care.
Summary
Contact your healthcare provider if you are unsure about the best way to deal with your symptoms. While mild cases can often be treated at home, severe cases may need prompt skilled care to save your life
Learn the symptoms that point to a need for urgent treatment. Do not delay in calling 911 if you think there is a need.
41 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS).The five deadly causes of chest pain other than myocardial infarction.
RUSH University Medical Center.6 facts about chest pain.
Cedars Sinai.Heart failure.
Wilson N. Jones.What are the stages of congestive heart failure? When to go to the emergency room for CHF.
American Heart Association.What is a heart attack?
American Heart Association.What are the warning signs of a heart attack?
MedlinePlus.Aortic dissection.
Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School.Pericarditis.
MedlinePlus.Pericarditis.
Cedars Sinai.Pulmonary embolism.
Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothrax).
MedlinePlus.Collapsed lung (pneumothrax).
MedlinePlus.Hemothorax.
St. Luke’s Hospital.Hemothorax.
MedlinePlus.Esophageal perforation.
UTSouthwestern Medical Center.Esophageal perforation.
MedlinePlua.Acute bronchitis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
American Lung Association.What is a cold?
American Academy of Family Physicians.Acute bronchitis.
American Lung Association.Pneumonia.
American Lung Association.Pneumonia symptoms and diagnosis.
Banner Health.Is it a heart attack or a pulled chest muscle?
University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.Chest discomfort: cardiac or muscular?
Portland Urgent Care.What are common causes of chest pain?
Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School.Chest pain: a heart attack or something else?
Michigan Medicine University of Michigan.When chest pain isn’t a heart attack.
World Health Organization.COVID-19: symptoms.
American Academy of Family Physicians.When a “chest cold” is something more.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Chest cold (acute bronchitis).
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure treatment.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart attack treatment.
Fukui T.Management of acute aortic dissection and thoracic aortic rupture.Journal of Intensive Care. 2018;6(1):15.
Penn Medicine.What is cardiac tamponade?
St. Luke’s Hospital.Pulmonary embolus.
American Lung Association.Symptoms, diagnosis, and treating pneumothorax.
St. Luke’s Hospital.Esophageal perforation.
Buddeke J, Valstar GB, van Dis I, et al.Mortality after hospital admission for heart failure: improvement over time, equally strong in women as in men.BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):36. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7934-3
Geisinger.Call 911 in a medical emergency.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
