Symptoms
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Pain and tenderness at the junction of the ribs and the breast bone.
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Pain increases with movement and deep breathing, and decreases with rest and quiet breathing.
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Pain usually occurs on only one side of the chest, most commonly the left, but can affect both sides of the chest at same time.
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Swelling may occur which is referred as Tietze syndrome.
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Pain may radiate to back or abdomen, arm and shoulder.
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If it occurs as a result of a surgery, there can be inflammation with redness, swelling or pus discharge at the site.
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Tightness in the chest.
Causes
There is no definite cause of costochondritis. It may occur due to
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Physical trauma (direct injury, strenuous exercise, severe bouts of coughing).
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Different types of infectious diseases (viral, bacterial, and fungal) can cause chostochondritis.
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Diseases like arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcers, fibromyalgia may also cause costochondritis.