<s>[INST] What could be the cause of shallow chest pains?  I have pains on my left side seemingly in the surface chest muscle.  It has been going on off & on & recently has been getting worse.  Any ideas?Height: 5 11 about 130 lbs., 59 years old.  Never smoked. [/INST] Although not the only cause of chest pain, these heart problems are common causes: Coronary Artery Disease, or CAD. A blockage in the heart blood vessels that reduces blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle itself. This can cause pain known as angina. AS the pain is involving the left side of chest it can be a pain of cardiac origin. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (HERD). Esophageal hypersensitivity. Peptic ulcers and severe anxiety can also mimic the symptoms however some baseline tests likened mill test 2d echo and lipid profile are advice to rule out the cardiac cause of pain. </s>