Chest tingling or chest paresthesia refers to the prickling sensation individuals feel on the skin’s surface or deeper within the chest cavity. This symptom might progress to numbness. Numerous situations and conditions might initiate tingling, including infection, injury or various medical conditions. Sometimes sensations felt in one part of the body are actually caused by disturbances in another location, creating referred symptoms. Persons experiencing recurrent tingling chest symptoms often consult with a health care professional to rule out possible cardiac causes.
Chest paresthesia or tingling might be the result of irritated nerves. Certain cardiac or pulmonary infections affect the heart, the sack surrounding the heart or the chest wall, causing swelling and inflammation. Herpes and other viruses often affect nerves, and infectious processes invading nerves contained within an area impede nerve transmissions or produce tingling from subsequent irritation. Similar symptoms might be present following muscle injury. Chest area injuries resulting in fractures, muscle strain or stress, not only impair these tissues, but might include possible nerve damage, causing unusual sensations in the form of chest tingling.
Gastrointestinal maladies often produce symptoms causing pain or sensation in other areas of the body, including the chest. Complex neural pathways travel through various parts of the body and may generate signals denoting irritation in locations other than where the actual disturbance occurs. Ailments commonly associated with referred discomfort include acid reflux and gall bladder disease and ulcerations. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and numerous autoimmune disorders create multi-system symptoms which could produce chest tingling.
Electrolyte imbalances cause a variety of symptoms and can contribute to tingling in the chest. The constant flow of various electrolytes in and out of specific channels cause muscle movement and regulate nervous system activity. Deficiencies in any one of these substances, including low calcium or low magnesium disrupt normal muscle fiber movement or cause hyper-excitability in nerve cells, which might produce unusual sensations. Deficiencies in B or D vitamins also typically produce paresthesia.
Persons internalizing extreme mental duress or stress eventually experience various physical symptoms as the body reacts to the influx of chemicals associated with these circumstances. Individuals experiencing increased levels of stress over extended periods of time may eventually suffer panic attacks or other anxiety disorders. Any of these situations might produce the symptom of chest tingling.
As heart attacks and other cardiac disorders present different signs and symptoms in various people, chest tingling might also be a symptom of an underlying heart or vascular problem. Vascular blockages, inflammation or other blood vessel disease processes might be causative factors. A thorough evaluation of symptoms along with a physical assessment can help explain potential ailments.