Chest pain is a common symptom with up to 40% of the general population experiencing chest pain at some point in their lives. In the UK, up to 1% of GP consultations are due to chest pain. In secondary care, chest pain accounts for around 5% of visits to the emergency department with around 114 000 patients admitted each year with acute coronary syndromes. This article focuses on the clinical features that can help differentiate cardiac and non-cardiac chest pain, primary care management of suspected cardiac chest pain and the further management of acute coronary syndromes.
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