What does the medical term costochondritis stand for?

Costochondritis is the medical term for inflammation of the cartilage that joins your ribs to your breastbone (sternum).

Where does costochondritis affect the left side of the body?

Costochondritis most commonly affects the upper ribs on the left-hand side of your body. Pain is often worst where the rib cartilage attaches to the breastbone (sternum), but it can also occur where the cartilage attaches to the rib.

What’s the difference between Tietze syndrome and costochondritis?

The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis. Without this tenderness, a diagnosis of costochondritis is unlikely. Tietze syndrome, on the other hand, exhibits swellings at the rib-cartilage junction. Costochondritis has no noticeable swelling.

What can cause a person to get costochondritis?

Strain: Activities that strain your chest wall muscles can lead to costochondritis. This includes hard coughing. Strain can also occur while you are playing sports with repeated arm movements, such as rowing, weightlifting, and volleyball. Infection: Lung or chest infections can increase your risk of costochondritis.

What do you need to know about costochondritis?

• Overview. Costochondritis most commonly affects the upper ribs on the left-hand side of your body.
• you should seek emergency medical attention to rule out life-threatening causes such as a heart attack.
• Causes. Costochondritis usually has no clear cause.
• Risk factors.

  What are the risk factors and symptoms of costochondritis?

  • Viral: Costochondritis commonly occurs with viral respiratory infections because of the inflammation of costochondral junctions from the viral infection itself or from the strain of coughing.
  • Bacterial: Costochondritis may occur after surgery and be caused by bacterial infections.
  • Fungal: Fungal infections are rare causes of costochondritis.

    How is costochondritis compared to Tietze syndrome?

    Tietze’s syndrome is more localised, whereas costochondritis tends to be more diffuse. Both conditions may be considered to be subtypes of chest wall pain/syndrome. All describe musculoskeletal causes of chest pain.

    How does costochondritis differ from Tietze syndrome?

    Costochondritis is distinguished from Tietze syndrome, a condition also involving pain in the same area of the front of the chest, by the presence of swelling. Costochondritis is not associated with swelling, as opposed to Tietze syndrome, where swelling is characteristic.