<unk>  is a benign inflammation of one or more of the costal cartilages. It was first described in 1921 by German surgeon Alexander<unk>  and was subsequently named after him. The condition is characterized by tenderness and painful swelling of the anterior (front) chest wall at the costochondral (rib to cartilage), sternocostal (cartilage to sternum), or sternoclavicular (clavicle to sternum) junctions.<unk>  affects the true ribs and has a predilection for the 2nd and 3rd ribs, commonly affecting only a single joint. In environments such as the emergency department, an estimated 20-50% of non-cardiac chest pain is due to a musculoskeletal cause. Despite musculoskeletal conditions such as<unk>  being a common reason for visits to the emergency room, they are frequently misdiagnosed as angina pectoris, pleurisy, and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions due to similar presentation. Though<unk>  can be misdiagnosed, life-threatening conditions with similar symptoms such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) should be ruled out prior to diagnosis of other conditions.<unk>  is often confused with costochondritis.<unk>  is differentiated from costochondritis by swelling of the costal cartilages, which does not appear in costochondritis. Additionally, costochondritis affects the 2nd to 5th ribs while<unk>  typically affects the 2nd or 3rd rib.
Tietze syndrome
Costochondritis
Galloway Mowat syndrome
Zechi-Ceide syndrome
Mungan syndrome
Schimmelpenning syndrome
Antley–Bixler syndrome
Havana syndrome