If you suddenly feel uncomfortable in your heart, is it definitely a heart disease? There are also these diseases that you should pay attention to.

I once encountered a patient with a very serious condition:

The young man was in his 30s. After dinner, he suddenly had severe chest pain and fainted. His family members quickly called 120 and came to the hospital. The emergency doctor suspected that the patient had an acute myocardial infarction , so he called a cardiologist to consult whether cardiac angiography was necessary.

The cardiologist found that the patient's blood pressure was very high: 170/100mmHg, so he was more cautious and asked the nurse to measure the blood pressure of the other arm: 200/110mmHg! The difference in blood pressure between the two sides was too big , so he suggested doing an aortic CTA first. Because the patient might not have a heart attack, but an aortic dissection!

As expected, the examination results showed: aortic dissection! The large blood vessel was torn from the front chest to the lower abdomen! Fortunately, the heart angiography was not performed rashly, otherwise the intravascular operation during the angiography might accelerate the rupture of the blood vessel, or even death!

Sudden discomfort in the heart may not necessarily be a heart attack! These diseases may also be possible, and may be more harmful:

1. Aortic dissection

The aorta is the main blood vessel connecting the heart and various organs. When the aortic intima is damaged, the high-speed blood flow from the heart rushes into the damaged area and tears the blood vessel. The most common cause is uncontrolled high blood pressure. If aortic dissection is not treated in time, the 48-hour mortality rate is as high as 50%, which is much higher than myocardial infarction.

The patient's severe pain can cover the entire chest, back, and even the abdomen. If the dissection involves the coronary artery, it will also hinder the blood supply to the myocardium, and even cause electrocardiogram changes of myocardial ischemia, causing doctors to misdiagnose and treat. Doctors often use aortic CTA to confirm the diagnosis.

2. Arrhythmia

Some friends often feel panic, unstable heartbeat, and even chest tightness in severe cases. Be careful about arrhythmia. It is recommended to complete an electrocardiogram or a 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram to help with diagnosis .

There are many types of arrhythmias, the most common of which are premature ventricular beats, atrial fibrillation, and bradycardia. Different types require completely different treatments. In addition, coronary heart disease, hyperthyroidism, anemia, hypokalemia, and heart deformation may all cause arrhythmias. Therefore, arrhythmias should not only be treated symptomatically, but also the cause should be identified.

3. Anemia

Coronary heart disease is caused by insufficient blood supply to the myocardium due to cardiovascular stenosis. The oxygen carried in the blood of anemic patients is greatly reduced, which can lead to insufficient blood supply to the myocardium even without vascular stenosis, causing angina pectoris or even myocardial infarction. Therefore, blood routine tests are routine examination items for suspected coronary heart disease patients when they are admitted to the hospital .

4. Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an abdominal disease, but it is often misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction in China and abroad. This is because some patients will have electrocardiogram waveforms similar to myocardial ischemia or even myocardial infarction.

Medical records show that these patients had no corresponding lesions on coronary angiography. Blood tests such as screening troponin and amylase can help distinguish pancreatitis from myocardial infarction.

I am Dr. Zhang from the Department of Cardiology. If you like my popular science articles, please like them! Follow me to learn more about heart disease! You can also share this article with friends in need!