Why do I feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea, and chest itching after catching a cold?

After catching a cold, although our body has resisted the damage of the cold virus, our body will still feel some discomfort. For example, after catching a cold, the body may experience chest tightness, shortness of breath, and nausea. So, why? In fact, this situation may be caused by some viruses or other diseases. It is recommended that everyone go to the hospital for a check-up to prevent other viruses from affecting our health.

At present, the temperature alternates between cold and warm frequently, and the temperature difference between day and night is large. The elderly and other people with relatively weak constitutions have poor adaptability and are most susceptible to viruses and bacteria, leading to colds (respiratory medicine). If you don't take it seriously and allow the cold (respiratory medicine) to develop, it may cause a variety of heart diseases, and in severe cases, it may cause serious consequences such as heart failure. Rheumatic heart disease (Rheumatology Department of Cardiovascular Medicine), commonly known as rheumatic heart disease, is closely related to colds.

How can I get better quickly from a cold? How can I get better quickly from a cold?

Rheumatic heart disease mostly occurs in young and middle-aged people aged 20 to 40, 2/3 of whom are women. Rheumatic fever (Orthopedics, Cardiovascular Medicine, Rheumatology) activity often leads to incomplete closure or stenosis of one or more valves, namely the mitral valve, tricuspid valve and aortic valve, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the heart and circulatory disorders, with specific manifestations including sweating, palpitations, angina pectoris (Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Cardiovascular Medicine), chest tightness, exertional dyspnea, dizziness (Neurology), syncope (Neurology), edema, etc.

When tracing back the medical history, we found that the cause of many patients' illness was actually a cold they caught when they were young, which laid the root cause of the problem by not treating it for a long time. This type of cold is mostly caused by infection with beta-hemolytic streptococci. Beta-hemolytic streptococci reach the heart through the blood and directly invade the heart valves, causing a series of lesions and leading to rheumatic heart disease (rheumatology department of cardiovascular medicine). The natural course of a cold is generally 7 days. If the patient does not recover within the natural course, he or she should go to the hospital for treatment in time. Do not delay treatment, which may lead to bacterial infection of the heart. Colds can also induce myocarditis (cardiovascular medicine).

According to statistics, 90% of colds are caused by viruses, of which about 5% of viral infections can affect the heart and cause myocarditis (cardiovascular medicine). Myocarditis can be caused by direct viral invasion of the myocardium after viral infection, leading to myocardial damage and severe fibrosis. It may also be caused by the virus infecting the myocardium, activating the myocardial immune system, causing autoimmune dysfunction, and immune allergic reactions that continue to damage the normal myocardium. The former is more common in children, while the latter is more common in teenagers. These two groups of people should be particularly vigilant after catching a cold.

If viral myocarditis (cardiothoracic surgery and cardiovascular medicine) can be diagnosed and treated early, the prognosis is usually good. Once diagnosed, you must stay in bed to reduce the burden on your heart. Avoid overwork, heavy physical labor, or strenuous exercise. Otherwise, the condition will worsen and you may experience arrhythmia (cardiothoracic surgery, cardiovascular department), cardiogenic shock (cardiovascular department).

emergency department) and heart failure. Repeated attacks may also turn into chronic myocarditis and cardiomyopathy (cardiothoracic surgery and cardiovascular medicine), which can cause lifelong harm.

Although the chance of a cold leading to heart disease is not high, once it occurs, the harm is extremely serious. Therefore, when you have cold symptoms, you must not ignore them. You should get more rest, drink more boiled water, eat a light diet, avoid fatigue, and promote your body's recovery as soon as possible. For people who already suffer from heart disease, a cold can seriously affect their cardiopulmonary function. In addition to taking medication regularly, they should also pay attention to bed rest, maintain a proper work and rest schedule, and avoid fatigue and strenuous activities. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended to reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular events.

In addition, some special groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women and children, have significantly reduced resistance after catching a cold, making it easier for bacteria and viruses to take advantage of the situation and increase their destructive power. This group of people should keep warm and avoid moisture, try not to go to crowded public places, ensure a balanced diet, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, wash hands and take a bath frequently, pay attention to personal hygiene, and develop a good living schedule. If you feel palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc. after a cold, you should be highly vigilant and go to the hospital for treatment in time.