Musculoskeletal causes of pediatric chest pain.

Musculoskeletal chest pain is the most common identifiable cause of chest pain in children and adolescents. A lesion or irritation of any layer of the anterior chest wall may lead to pain. Causes range from the common, such as costochondritis, to the rare, such as chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis. Regardless of the cause, chest pain raises concern of cardiac abnormalities, and may rapidly lead to significant anxiety and lifestyle alterations. Thus, efficient and accurate identification of the cause of pediatric chest pain by a thorough history and physical examination is important to minimize the disruption it may cause.