Raynaud's

Okay. From your answers so far, you have Raynaud's and chest pain when taking a deep breath. This combination of symptoms raises the possibility of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or just "lupus"). Lupus causes inflammation in multiple areas of the body. If the lining of the lung is inflamed, there may be chest pain associated with breathing. If you also have additional symptoms (see below), lupus, or another rheumatic disease might be more likely.

On the other hand, your chest pain and Raynaud's could be unrelated. For example, chest pain like yours could be a sign of a collapsed lung (also called pneumothorax), a blood clot in the lung (called pulmonary embolus), or inflammation around the heart (called pericarditis). Of course, chest pain can also be a sign of a heart attack. These are potentially serious conditions, so see your doctor promptly to evaluate the chest pain, even if these other symptoms are mild and turn out to be unrelated.

Just one more question:

Do you also have either of the following problems: chronic (longstanding) pain in multiple joints chronic (longstanding) rash? Yes, I have one or both of those problems. No, I don't have pain in multiple joints or chronic rash.

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Online Medical Reviewer: Faculty of Harvard Medical School Date Last Reviewed: 5/31/2006 Date Last Modified: 5/25/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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