Noncardiac Chest Pain (NCCP)--A Growing Medical Problem

Noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) remains an enigmatic condition that continues to represent a major challenge not only to modern gastroenterology, but also the fields of cardiology and psychiatric medicine. It is a poorly understood and heterogeneous condition with numerous underlying potential mechanisms. Limited progress has been made in recent years, however, there is a dearth of good quality clinical studies, pathophysiological research as well as population and hospital epidemiological data. Noncardiac chest pain is a very common and debilitating condition which impacts greatly on individual's both physically and psychosocially. The most complex and difficult aspects of noncardiac chest pain remain its diagnosis and management. This is the first and only book to provide a comprehensive review of non-cardiac chest pain.Gathered here are the current world authorities in the field who have provided their insights and expertise on a variety of topics including epidemiology, cardiologist's perspective, pathophysiology, non esophageal causes, sensory testing, psychological disorders, diagnosis, use of proton-pump inhibitors, brain imaging, economics, treatment, quality of life, prognosis and future developments.