Why does back discomfort cause chest tightness?

Because of sitting for a long time every day, many friends will feel severe pain in the back, and even if it doesn’t hurt, they will feel very uncomfortable. In real life, anyone who encounters such a situation will basically feel not only back pain, but also a feeling of chest tightness, which cannot be eliminated no matter what they eat. So the question is, what is the reason why back discomfort causes chest tightness?

What does myocardial ischemia feel like?

1. Chest and abdominal discomfort: chest and abdominal discomfort similar to stomach discomfort occurs. Unlike general stomach problems, this type of stomach discomfort is a feeling of stuffiness and fullness, and has obvious inducing factors, such as anger or excessive sadness. It lasts for several minutes or more than ten minutes, accompanied by dull pain, burning sensation, and nausea and vomiting.

2. Pain in non-precordial area: Pain may occur in the back, neck, left forearm, wrist, fingers, gums, throat, and even lower limbs. The pain location varies, the causes are mostly fatigue, excitement, etc., and it is paroxysmal and can be relieved.

3. Fatigue: Fatigue is also a manifestation of myocardial ischemia. Patients often experience unexplained fatigue and lack of energy.

Types of myocardial ischemia

According to the naming and diagnostic criteria of "ischemic heart disease" published by the World Health Organization, this disease can be divided into the following types:

1. Angina

It is the most representative type of myocardial ischemia, characterized by paroxysmal, compressive pain in the anterior chest. The pain is mainly located behind the sternum and can radiate to the precordial area and left upper limb. It often occurs during labor or emotional excitement and disappears after rest or use of nitrate preparations. It can be divided into stable, unstable and variant angina.

2. Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is often caused by secondary thrombosis on the basis of coronary atherosclerotic lesions. With the advancement of medical technology, the main mortality rate in the acute phase of this disease has decreased, but it is still a serious and fatal disease with a total mortality rate of up to 30%. It is important to pay attention to prevention, especially for smokers, obese people, people with diabetes and those who lack physical labor.

3. Ischemic cardiomyopathy

Long-term myocardial ischemia and hypoxia can lead to myocardial cell necrosis, scar formation, and proliferation of intermyocardial fibrous tissue, which is called ischemic cardiomyopathy, also known as myocardial fibrosis. It is characterized by the heart becoming stiff and gradually enlarging, and developing arrhythmias and heart failure. The prognosis is poor and the mortality rate is high. The main causes of death are progressive congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction and severe arrhythmia.

4. Sudden Death

There are usually no life-threatening early symptoms, and the main cause is a sudden and severe arrhythmia of the heart. Coronary heart disease is the most common underlying heart disease in patients with sudden cardiac death. Therefore, to prevent sudden cardiac death, we should prevent the root cause of the disease, change living habits and eating habits, reduce the risk of coronary atherosclerosis, and reduce the formation of coronary heart disease. When ischemia occurs, long-term medication should be used to improve myocardial ischemia and prevent the condition from worsening.