Chest tightness and pain on the left side every day

The heart is on the left side of the chest cavity. The heart works very hard and beats non-stop. Therefore, the heart is the organ that we need to protect the most. Since the heart is very important to the human body, we need to understand what behaviors can damage the heart and try not to do them. Although some people have tried their best to protect their hearts, they still feel chest tightness and pain on the left side every day. What should they do?

When you have left-sided chest pain accompanied by chest tightness, the first thing you consider is usually a heart problem. The first thing to rule out is acute myocardial infarction. The second is angina pectoris caused by insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries. After ruling out heart problems, the next thing to consider is lung problems. The main thing is that after the heart and lung problems are ruled out, the remaining problem may be the rib problem, such as intercostal neuritis or rib injury.

Acute myocardial infarction is myocardial necrosis caused by acute and persistent ischemia and hypoxia of the coronary arteries. Clinically, there is often severe and persistent pain behind the sternum, which cannot be completely relieved by rest or nitrates, accompanied by increased serum myocardial enzyme activity and progressive electrocardiogram changes. It may be complicated by arrhythmia, shock or heart failure, which is often life-threatening. This disease is most common in Europe and the United States, with approximately 1.5 million people suffering from myocardial infarction each year in the United States. China has shown a clear upward trend in recent years, with at least 500,000 new cases each year and at least 2 million current patients.

Most patients have coronary atherosclerosis and stenosis. Due to certain factors, the coronary atherosclerotic plaques rupture, and the platelets in the blood gather on the surface of the ruptured plaques to form blood clots (thrombi), which suddenly block the coronary artery lumen and cause myocardial ischemia and necrosis. In addition, a sharp increase in myocardial oxygen consumption or coronary artery spasm can also induce acute myocardial infarction. Common causes are as follows:

1. Overwork

Excessive physical labor, especially climbing stairs with heavy loads, excessive physical activity, continuous stress and fatigue, etc., can increase the burden on the heart and suddenly increase the myocardial oxygen demand. The coronary arteries of patients with coronary heart disease have become hardened and narrowed and cannot fully expand, causing myocardial ischemia. Severe physical stress can also induce plaque rupture and lead to acute myocardial infarction.

2. Excitement

It is triggered by intense emotional changes such as excitement, tension, and anger.

3. Overeating

Many cases of myocardial infarction occur after overeating. After eating a large amount of high-fat, high-calorie food, blood lipid concentration suddenly increases, leading to increased blood viscosity and increased platelet aggregation. Thrombosis forms on the basis of coronary artery stenosis, causing acute myocardial infarction.

4. Cold stimulation

Sudden cold stimulation may induce acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, patients with coronary heart disease should pay great attention to keeping warm. The cold seasons in winter and spring are one of the reasons for the high incidence of acute myocardial infarction.