A boy has a hard lump in the middle of his chest

In daily life, some people will notice a lump in their chest, which makes them feel worried and anxious. They don't know the cause of the lump in their chest, let alone what causes this situation. In fact, a hard lump in the middle of the chest is most likely costochondritis, which is a very common disease. The editor below will introduce in detail the causes, clinical manifestations and how to prevent this disease.

1. Nonspecific costochondritis

The cause of its onset is not yet established, but possible causes are as follows:

(1) Viral infection. Many cases are reported to have a history of viral infection and respiratory tract infection before falling ill.

(2) Chronic muscle strain of the cruciate ligament of the thoracocostal segment.

(3) Immunity or endocrine abnormalities cause costal cartilage hypofunction.

(4) Other reasons may be related to injuries such as tuberculosis, malnutrition, acute bacterial respiratory infections, rheumatoid arthritis, subluxation of the ribs and chest, chest injuries, and persistent coughing.

2. Infectious costochondritis

Primary infection is relatively rare. It is usually caused by menstruation. The pathogenic bacteria are often Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella typhi or Paratyphoid. Chondritis caused by infection after thoracic surgery is more common, and the pathogenic bacteria are mainly purulent bacteria and fungi.

1. Nonspecific costochondritis

In the early stage of the disease, the patient feels chest pain. A few days later, a swollen, protruding, dull or dull hard lump appears in the costal cartilage. The location is mostly at the 2nd to 4th costal cartilage next to the scapula, with the 2nd costal cartilage being the most common. Sometimes it can also occur in the costal arch. The disease mostly affects a single rib, and rarely involves multiple ribs or both upper and lower ribs at the same time. Partial pressure pain is obvious, and the pain radiates strongly to the shoulder bones of the back or side shoulders, arms, and armpits. The pain worsens after deep inhalation, coughing, activities, raising the head and chest, and fatigue. Subacute cases may have a sudden onset, with chest tingling, throbbing or aching pain; insidious cases may have a slow onset, inadvertently causing the intersection of the ribs and costal cartilage to become arched, swollen, and dull, with no change in the skin. The pain varies in severity from mild to severe, and often changes and is difficult to heal. Because the disease is in the upper part of the breast, the breast in the same direction also has referred pain. The female patient mistakenly thought of breast pain and sought medical treatment. However, diseases of the breast itself can often be identified by hard lumps or cord-like substances in the breast, or by redness of the skin on part of the breast. The disease can last for a few hours or days, but can flare up, often with recovery within a few months, and some can last for years.

2. Infectious costochondritis

Part of the skin will experience swelling, heat and pain, with chest pain being the predominant symptom. Most of the symptoms occur first, with varying degrees of mild and severe. Patients are afraid of taking deep breaths and coughing due to chest pain, which can easily lead to lung infection. Soft tissue necrosis can produce cysts, and cyst ulceration can produce sinus tracts. Patients usually have significant systemic infection.