As the name suggests, chest pain refers to pain in the entire area of the chest cavity, and angina refers to diseases in the heart area.
Pneumothorax, pericarditis, pericardial tamponade, acute coronary syndrome, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and even rupture of the esophagus can cause chest pain.
Although angina can also cause chest pain, it cannot be said that chest pain is angina.
Chest pain and angina are two different medical concepts. Angina can cause pain not only in the chest cavity, but also radiates to other parts of the body, and only when the pain is manifested in the heart area, it is chest pain.
That is to say, part of the symptoms of angina are chest pain, and chest pain is not necessarily angina. The connotations of the two concepts intersect, but they are not the same, nor are they fully inclusive.
Angina is a very typical symptom of coronary heart disease, which is due to insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, so that the myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, resulting in local lactic acid, phosphoric acid and other acidic metabolites, as well as histamine rapid aggregation, stimulating the nerve endings here, transmitted to the corresponding spinal cord segment through the sympathetic nerve, and then transmitted to the cerebral cortex to produce pain.
Angina is actually a signal from myocardial ischemia, and because it is often accompanied by chest pain or chest discomfort, people often misjudge chest pain as angina. To avoid going into the wrong place of diagnosis, you can distinguish it from four aspects.
1. Distinguish from the pain area
Ordinary chest pain with non-angina is confined to the chest cavity region, and the site of onset is often a point that can be specified.
Angina is not only manifested in the chest area, sometimes the pain can radiate to the left shoulder, left arm, neck, throat, jaw, teeth, ring finger, little finger and many other places, the area of symptoms is very extensive.
It is difficult to identify the site of the disease at which it is, because the boundaries of the area of angina attack are blurred.
2. Distinguish from the feeling of pain
Ordinary chest pain is real pain, pure and obvious pain, even in a restful state.
Angina is a stuffy pain, and there is a sense of contraction, squeezing, and sometimes it is not even real pain, but an indescribable discomfort, when severe, it feels that the consciousness is blank, and there is a sense of suffocation and fear that is on the verge of death.
3. Distinguish from the duration of the attack
The duration of angina attacks is relatively short, usually within 15 minutes, according to statistics, about 70% of patients, the duration of angina attacks is only about 2 minutes.
The usual chest pain attacks last a long time, usually for hours or even days. Why does angina last so long?
Because when angina occurs, people are suddenly in a wooden state, can not do anything, equivalent to "forced" rest, so soon return to a state of no lack of oxygen, symptoms will naturally ease, so the duration is short. Ordinary chest pain, as long as the lesion does not disappear, will continue to hurt, so it lasts for a long time.
4. Distinguish from the speed of remission
Angina usually relieves after a few minutes of rest, while ordinary chest pain takes a long time to rest, and even rest for a long time can not be relieved.
When angina pectoris, after nitroglycerin is contained in the mouth, it will be relieved quickly in about 2 minutes, and taking nitroglycerin for ordinary chest pain does not relieve the pain.
Why can angina relieve angina with a little rest?
Because the blood demand in the whole body is not so urgent at rest, the demand for blood in the coronary arteries is also reduced, that is, the degree of coronary ischemia and hypoxia is reduced, so the symptoms are alleviated.
In summary, chest pain and angina are different, and it cannot be said that chest pain is angina. Angina caused by a wide range of pain areas, the symptoms of the onset of the disease is a manifestation of hypoxia, the duration of the attack is short, through rest or nitroglycerin can be quickly relieved. Therefore, patients with angina should avoid overwork and should always have nitroglycerin pills around them.