Assessment and treatment of psychological causes of chest pain.

Abstract

Chest pain prompts an estimated 4.6 million people in the United States to seek emergency medical care each year. Chest pain is common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Chest pain is also common in patients without CAD or other cardiac causes for their chest pain, sometimes called non-cardiac chest pain. Psychological assessment and treatment may clinically aid patients with chest pain in ways that may influence disease onset, maintenance, and progression and may improve quality of life. This article highlights factors important for psychological assessment and treatment of patients with chest pain.