Can smoking cause chest pain?

If you’re a smoker, it’s important to know how it affects your body. Here’s what to know.  

If you smoke, you increase your risk of disease, plain and simple. That includes heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and even certain eye diseases. In some cases, smoking can also cause chest pain.

Chest pain from smoking usually doesn’t come directly from your lungs. “Your lungs don’t have any pain fibers in them,” says Neil Schachter, M.D. He’s a lung specialist at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. “When somebody tells you their lungs hurt, it’s usually something else.”

For instance, it might be inflammation in the membrane that separates your lungs from your inner chest wall. And cigarette smoking, along with other facts, may provide clues to the underlying causes of this condition.

So, here’s a closer look at how cigarettes may cause chest pain — plus what to do about it.

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Why a smoker might experience chest pain

Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. If you don’t know what that “something” is, you’ll want to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

If you’re a smoker, the discomfort you feel could be one of the following.

Strained chest muscles
If you smoke, you’re probably familiar with the classic “smoker’s cough,” which is due to irritation and inflammation in your airways.

“Sometimes, if you cough, you can move your chest muscles so violently that you strain them,” says Dr. Schachter. “If you’re older, you may also have started to develop arthritis, or inflammation of your chest cartilage, which can cause pain.”

Heart disease
Heart disease causes 1 in 5 smoking-related deaths, according to the American Heart Association.

This is because cigarettes increase the buildup of plaque in your blood vessels. (Plaque is a buildup of cholesterol deposits.) When that happens, it can cause chest pain. It also raises the risk that you’ll have an actual heart attack.

If you have pain in the center or left side of your chest, it could be a symptom of a heart attack. You’ll want to call 911 right away — or have someone take you to the emergency room.

Blood clots
Nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of arteries and hardens arterial walls, increasing the likelihood that blood clots will form. (Nicotine is the highly addictive substance found in tobacco products.) When one of these clots occurs in your lungs, it’s called a pulmonary embolism. It can cause chest pain that worsens when you breathe in.

Asthma
Cigarette smoke is a known trigger for asthma, which can lead to wheezing, breathlessness, coughing and chest tightness.

Pneumonia
Smoking does not directly cause pneumonia. But if you smoke, your pneumonia risk increases. The hallmark symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chills, shortness of breath, and chest pain while coughing or breathing.

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How to get rid of chest pain from smoking

The best way to get rid of chest pain from smoking is to quit smoking. The CDC and Smokefree.gov reports that when you quit smoking:

• The nicotine level in your blood drops to zero in 24 hours.
• The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops within a few days.
• Your risk of a heart attack drops dramatically in 1 to 2 years.

One of the first things that start to regrow and function normally are the tiny hairlike structures in your lungs called cilia. This helps move mucus out of your lungs and reduces the risk of infection. As the months go by, you should experience decreased coughing and shortness of breath.

After 15 years without smoking, your risk of heart disease is close to that of a nonsmoker.

Of course, quitting can be difficult. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your provider may be able to assist you. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that people who combine behavioral treatments and medications have higher success rates than those who don’t.

Behavioral treatments include therapy, meditation and smoking-cessation telephone hotlines. And the common medications include:

• Over-the-counter nicotine replacement products such as skin patches, gum, lozenges, and prescription inhalers and nasal sprays.
• Varenicline (Chantix), a prescription medication that works in your brain to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
• Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin), an antidepressant that is also approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help with quitting smoking.

Remember, if there’s a chance your chest pain may be a heart attack, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. And whether you’re experiencing an emergency or not, you should make a plan to stop smoking.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the market for a new health plan, let us help. You can speak with a licensed insurance agent at (800) 827-9990, or you can browse your options online today.