The bones of the thoracic cavity are part of the outer chest wall with the sternum, clavicle and ribs in the front (anterior), ribs on the sides (lateral) and ribs and vertebrae at the back (posterior). The scapula may also be considered as part of the chest wall as any pathology within this bone may also cause bone chest pain.

Causes of Bone Chest Pain

Pain arising from the bones or joints may cause chest pain that will often elicit tenderness to touch or firm pressure. The pain usually aggravates with breathing or movement and may ease when at rest.

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The esophagus (food pipe) runs through the thoracic cavity and any disorder affecting this part of the gastrointestinal tract may cause chest pain. Apart from a portion of the stomach which can protrude into the thoracic cavity in the case of a hiatal hernia, the other main parts of the gatrointestinal tract are within the abdomen. However these associated organs and other sections of the GI tract located with the abdomen may cause referred pain to the chest.

Causes of  GI Chest Pain

It is important to note if the chest pain is emanating and isolated to the chest cavity itself or if there is pain present elsewhere in the body as well. This will aid with a diagnosis. Most cases of GI chest pain is not life threatening and should only be considered once the causes of lung chest pain or heart chest pain have been excluded.

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Flu Symptoms Last  for About a Week

Main symptoms of all types of influenza (seasonal flu, swine flu – 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1, and bird flu – avian influenza H5N1), like fever, severe tiredness, runny nose and sore throat, usually last for 5-10 days. 

• The first symptom, fever, usually lasts for 1-2 days, sometimes up to 5 days (1). Note: Fever may be absent.
• Severe tiredness may be present in the first 3-4 days.
• When fever starts to drop, sore throat, dry cough, runny nose and headache appear or worsen and may last until 5th to 10th day of the disease.

If above symptoms do not cease in 7-10 days, you should visit your doctor to get an exact diagnosis and to check if eventual complications, like sinusitis or pneumonia have developed.

continue reading How Long Does Seasonal, Swine and Bird Flu Last?

How Can You Get Seasonal, Swine or Bird Flu?

Seasonal (Common) Flu.

You can usually catch seasonal influenza A from humans, but also from ferrets and pigs (1). Seasonal influenza B usually affects humans and seals (13) and can cause epidemic but not pandemic (2). Seasonal influenza C rarely causes a severe disease and does not cause epidemic or pandemic (2).

You can catch viruses by:

• Your mouth, nose or eyes from an infected person (or animal) while he speaks, coughs, sneezes or kisses you
• Sharing eating utensils, food, glasses, napkins, towels, toys or other fomites with an infected person (or animal) and touching your mouth, nose or eyes with them
• Touching mouth, nose, eyes or hands of an infected person or touching surfaces, like doorknobs or computer keyboards, contaminated by viruses, and touching your mouth, nose or eyes thereafter.

continue reading How Is Flu Transmitted Among Humans, Birds, Pigs, Dogs and Cats

A torn cartilage at the knee joint is commonly seen after a twisting injury. This generally occurs in athletic activities or road accidents. The ‘cartilage’ referred to in this colloquial term, is not the articular cartilage, which normally covers the ends of bones in a joint. It refers to a specialized cartilaginous structure present between the bones (Picture 1) at the knee joint, which is called a meniscus (pl. menisci). The menisci are highly important for stabilizing the knee as well as making it capable of bearing the weight of the body. They also help in lubricating the joint for smooth movements.

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The aorta is the artery that carries oxygen-rich blood out of the left ventricle of the heart. As the largest artery in the body, it has many branches which helps distribute the oxygenated blood to organs and tissues.

Typically the aorta starts from the top of the heart (ascending aorta), curves downwards (arch of the aorta) and continues downwards (descending aorta). The part of the descending aorta that runs through the chest (thoracic cavity) is known as the thoracic aorta while the part that runs below the diaphragm, through the abdomen is known as the abdominal aorta.

continue reading What is the Aorta?

Causes of Heart Chest Pain

Cardiovascular conditions that result in chest pain should always be taken seriously as some of the causes are life threatening and require emergency medical attention. Heart chest pain may be severe and sudden with other signs and symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath (dyspnea) and fainting spells. This should raise the warning flag to seek immediate medical attention.

At other times, chest pain due to heart conditions may not require urgent attention but without medical treatment at some point, these causes can complicate into life threatening situations. Some of the causes of chest pain may also cause breastbone pain as part of the heart lies behind this bone.

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What Is an Incubation Period?

Incubation (Lat. incubationem = a lying upon eggs) period is the time from exposure to a microbe (like influenza virus) to symptoms appearance.

What Is a Contagious Period?

Contagious (Lat. contingere = touch closely) period is the time during which an infected person is able to spread an infection to others.

Table 1: Incubation and contagious period of seasonal, swine and bird flu

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Seasonal, Swine and Bird Flu in Human

Types of influenza currently appearing in humans include:

• Seasonal influenza, also called annual influenza, conventional influenza, common flu or human flu
• Swine flu, also called novel flu (in Europe), or 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1
• Bird flu or avian influenza

Table 1: Main characteristics of seasonal, swine and bird flu.

continue reading Types of Influenza (Flu) Affecting Human

Septic arthritis is an infection of a joint, which if not treated promptly can lead to irreparable damage to the joint surfaces. This condition is mainly seen in children, sometimes after a trivial fall or injury. Under normal conditions, it is very unlikely for an infection to reach a joint. This is because of the joint capsule and synovium forming a barrier around it. However, children have a poorly developed joint capsule, which makes them prone to get joint infections. This is especially seen in children who have weak immunity or frequent blood transfusions (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia).

continue reading Septic Arthritis – Causes and Treatment