Acute Chest Pain in the Young Adult

The complaint of chest pain in an individual may be caused by a myriad of causes, including cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal causes. In the younger adult, it is uncommon for a serious cause of cardiac or pulmonary disease to be the etiology. This article presents 2 cases of adults under the age of 23 who presented to family practice clinicians and reviews 3 potentially life-threatening diagnoses (cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, and pericardial effusion). Patient presentation, diagnostic features, and treatment options are discussed for each of these diagnoses. New, emerging treatment options are also reviewed.