No one knows why certain patients have reoccurrences of SP, while others never get one again. The only way of reducing the chance or another PSP is for smokers to quit smoking. There are numerous symptoms for a patient suffering of a spontaneous pneumothorax. Often, patients mistake an SP for heart attacks due to the chest pain and tightness. The actual symptoms an individual may experience ranges.
Some patients suffer more symptoms than others.
Also, the degree of tightness can vary depending on the severity of the collapse. Using a stethoscope is usually the first test for a diagnosing a spontaneous pneumothorax. This is because the lung is no longer inflating, so it remains silent. Use of a stethoscope is only a preliminary test, not a conclusive one. A chest x-ray is a more sure way of knowing whether one has a pneumo.