What is the cause of chest tightness and pain?

The chest is an important organ in the human body. If you experience chest tightness or chest pain in your life, you should pay attention, because such symptoms are likely caused by some disease. Anxiety, coronary heart disease, gastroesophageal reflux, etc. are all diseases that may cause chest tightness and chest pain.

Chest pain caused by anxiety

The pain may be felt anywhere throughout the chest, and patients often feel chronically depressed. Patients may begin to feel chest discomfort when they are still, such as when sitting or lying down, but not when exercising or working. This is caused by emotional tension.

Angina due to coronary heart disease

You may experience chest pain when you do strenuous activities such as walking, exercising, or climbing stairs. The pain will last for about 5 to 10 minutes and will stop when your body is still. Patients usually feel a sense of pressure in the upper chest. In addition, Dr. Zhang Kunlin from the Department of Thoracic Surgery in Wuhan pointed out that if the pain lasts for a long time, lasting 15 to 30 minutes, and sweating occurs, this is likely a myocardial infarction caused by embolism of the coronary arteries that supply nutrients to the heart, and the patient should be sent to the emergency room for treatment immediately.

Chest wall pain

The pain is concentrated at one point and lasts for a short time, only about 1-2 seconds each time, and there is a chance of recurrence. Typically, patients experience a sharp pain in the chest when they take a deep breath, cough, sneeze, or turn around. This pain is quite intense, but most cases will improve within a few days.

The patient may have sprained and inflamed rib cartilage or have an inflammation caused by a virus such as influenza, or the chest pain may be caused by a broken rib.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

When people eat too much, lie down or sleep, they feel something coming up, causing a bloating and burning sensation in the chest, and sometimes even a sour feeling in the mouth. The situation will improve if they sit up. This is because a set of sphincter muscles between the esophagus and the stomach relax, allowing stomach acid to rise up through the gap.