What causes chest cramps?

The symptom of chest colic is mainly caused by insufficient blood supply and hypoxia due to coronary heart disease. The symptoms are chest pain and difficulty breathing in patients. Therefore, it is recommended that everyone should understand the cause of angina pectoris, which will be of great help in preventing chest colic. Let’s learn about the causes and symptoms of chest colic and detect the symptoms of chest colic in time.

Angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome caused by insufficient coronary blood supply, acute and temporary myocardial ischemia and hypoxia. It is characterized by paroxysmal squeezing pain in the anterior chest, mainly located behind the sternum, which can radiate to the precordial area and left upper limb. It often occurs during labor or emotional excitement, lasts for several minutes, and disappears after rest or use of nitrate preparations. This disease is more common in men, and most patients are over 40 years old.

What are the symptoms of angina pectoris?

Angina pectoris often manifests as sudden squeezing pain, tightness, suffocation, burning pain, and a feeling of heavy objects pressing on the chest in the upper and middle part of the sternum. The chest pain gradually worsens, reaching a climax within a few minutes, and may radiate to the inner left shoulder, neck, lower jaw, upper and middle abdomen, or both shoulders. It is accompanied by cold sweat, which gradually subsides and lasts for a few minutes. It can be relieved by rest or taking nitroglycerin. Atypical cases may present with tenderness in the lower sternum, upper abdomen or precordial area. Some people only have pain in radiating areas, such as stuffy throat, jaw pain, and tenderness in the cervical spine. Symptoms in the elderly are often atypical and may only include chest tightness, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Elderly diabetics may only feel chest tightness without any chest pain.

Exertional angina: Exertional angina is characterized by brief episodes of chest pain induced by exercise or other situations that increase myocardial oxygen demand. The pain often disappears quickly after rest or sublingual nitroglycerin.

Spontaneous angina: Spontaneous angina is characterized by episodes of chest pain that are not clearly related to an increase in myocardial oxygen demand. Compared with exertional angina, this pain generally lasts longer, is more severe, is not easily relieved by nitroglycerin, and no enzyme changes are observed. The electrocardiogram often shows some temporary ST segment depression or T wave changes. Spontaneous angina may occur alone or in combination with exertional angina.

Patients with spontaneous angina pectoris may have different clinical manifestations depending on the frequency, duration and severity of pain attacks. Sometimes, patients have a prolonged episode of chest pain that mimics a myocardial infarction but without the characteristic ECG or enzyme changes.

Some patients with spontaneous angina experience temporary ST segment elevation during an attack, often called variant angina. However, this name cannot be applied when this ECG pattern is recorded in the early stages of myocardial infarction.

Initial exertional angina, exacerbating angina, and spontaneous angina are often referred to as "unstable angina."