What to Do and When to See a Doctor

If you’ve ever been diagnosed with the common cold or bronchitis, you’ve likely experienced chest congestion. Chest congestion is the result of inflamed air passages, or bronchi, in the lungs. A chest cold results from the same virus as the common cold and usually presents as a runny nose, sinus infection, or sore throat before settling into your lungs.

When the bronchi in your lungs are exposed to a virus, they swell and fill with a thick fluid called mucus. This excess fluid constricts the airflow, making it difficult to breathe. 

Symptoms of chest congestion include:

• Hacking cough with clear, green, or dark yellow mucus
• Chest tightness 
• Sore throat
• Body aches and chills
• Headache
• Fever
• Shortness of breath or wheezing 

The majority of these symptoms often fade in a few days, but a cough can last for weeks as your bronchial tubes heal. If you have a cough that lasts longer than 14 days, you should see your doctor. This symptom could be a sign of another illness that needs medical attention, such as pneumonia.

Remedies and Treatments for Chest Congestion

The common cold and chest congestion are the result of a virus. The only cure for this kind of virus involves resting and waiting for the virus to clear. Antibiotics are only helpful in treating diseases like pneumonia and whooping cough. However, some home remedies and treatments can soothe your aching chest and relieve your symptoms.

Doctors suggest these home remedies for chest congestion:

• Drink plenty of clear fluids to keep your body hydrated and thin the mucus inside your throat and lungs.
• Place a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier in the room to soothe any lung irritation.
• Sleep with your head propped up on several pillows to make breathing easier and prevent mucus from accumulating in your chest overnight.
• Take a hot shower and breathe in the steam to ease congestion.
• Try an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease body aches and reduce fever.
• Use saline drops or nasal spray to alleviate congestion.
• Use lozenges to keep your throat moist. 
• Use bronchodilators, which relax the muscles in your lungs and widen your bronchi to make breathing easier. Bronchodilators are often used to treat long-term conditions where your airways become inflamed and narrow, such as asthma.

Symptoms usually start to go away within seven days to two weeks if you don’t have an underlying condition like chronic pulmonary disease. Medicines like decongestants may also loosen mucus and ease other symptoms. 

When to See a Doctor

In some cases, at-home remedies might not do the trick. If you aren’t feeling better after a few days, have a fever that isn’t going away, are wheezing, or can’t seem to shake the infection, make an appointment with your doctor. Chest congestion may indicate a condition more serious than the common cold or bronchitis.

Remedies for Children

Children will benefit from many of the same home remedies for chest congestion, such as resting, drinking clear fluids, and breathing in cool air from vaporizers or humidifiers. Some chest cold remedies in children should be treated with caution.

Consider these home remedies for children with chest congestion:

• Some over-the-counter pain medications with ibuprofen or acetaminophen are designed for kids. Follow the label’s instructions, and check the active ingredients to ensure your child isn’t taking more than the recommended amount. You should also discuss the dosage with your child’s doctor.
• Cough syrup may help ease chest congestion symptoms in children. Cough syrup is available at drug stores or by prescription. Like pain relievers, read the label to ensure your child doesn’t take too much at one time.
• Lozenges may be given to children older than four years, but don’t give them to children younger than four years.
• If your child is older than one year, give them a teaspoon of honey or mix the same amount in a cup with warm water. Honey helps thin mucus and loosen a cough. Some research suggests that honey is more effective at reducing a severe cough than store-bought cough syrup. However, do not give honey to infants younger than one year because it can lead to a sickness known as infant botulism.
• Try squeezing saline drops in your child’s nose to loosen mucus, then insert a rubber bulb syringe to gently suction the nostrils and remove excess mucus.

The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t recommend over-the-counter cold medications for children younger than four years. You should also avoid giving children aspirin, which can cause a rare but life-threatening condition called Reye’s Syndrome.

Understanding Head Congestion: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

What is Head Congestion?

Head congestion refers to the pressure and discomfort you feel from a runny or stuffy nose. Though head congestion is usually harmless, it can leave you feeling miserable and exhausted for several days.

What Causes Head Congestion?

Your head feels congested when mucus builds up, causing blood vessels in your nose to become inflamed and resulting in swollen tissues and head pressure. The cause for this extra mucus varies, but below are some common reasons you might be feeling stuffy.

A Common Cold

With more than 1 billion colds in the United States each year, it’s likely your head congestion is caused by the common cold. When you catch a cold, a virus infects your nose and throat, resulting in head cold symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing, coughing and headaches.

This virus causes your nose to make thick, clear mucus, which helps wash away the germs from your nose and sinuses. This mucus also causes the nasal swelling that feels like head pressure.

When your nose swells, it can eventually interfere with your sinuses ability to drain, causing more mucus buildup. As a result, pressure builds and leads to pain in your forehead, between or behind your eyes and even your teeth.

If you’re experiencing head congestion, you probably want to know: How long does a head cold last? Most signs of a cold go away after seven to 10 days.

The Flu

Similarly, the influenza virus leads to head congestion by infecting your nose, throat and lungs, and causing nasal swelling. People often confuse a cold with the flu because their symptoms are similar. However, flu symptoms often come on quicker and are more severe, resulting in a fever, body aches, chills and more.

A Sinus Infection

Sometimes a runny nose and nasal swelling are actually a result of sinus congestion. Head and sinus congestion have different causes and treatments, but a sinus infection occurs when the swelling in your nose interferes with your sinuses’ ability to drain, causing a mucus buildup that attracts bacteria and other germs. If your cold symptoms haven’t improved after a week, see your doctor. You could be developing a sinus infection.

How to Relieve a Head Cold and Head Congestion

If you start to feel bad from nasal swelling or a stuffy nose, you can take steps to improve your symptoms and make yourself more comfortable. Here are some remedies for head congestion. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

Rest

Whether you catch the cold or flu, what your body needs most is rest. Go to bed early, take naps when needed, and don’t be afraid to take time off work or keep your children home from school. Not only will this prevent you from overexerting yourself, but it also helps avoid spreading your germs to others.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking lots of fluids is key to helping your immune system function properly, so consume even more than you do when healthy. Water, fruit juices with vitamin C, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey do the best job of keeping you hydrated and loosening congestion. Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages like coffee or soda make dehydration worse, so avoid them until symptoms improve.

Add Moisture to the Air

Though it seems counterproductive, you don’t want your nasal passages to dry up. Dry airways can increase nasal swelling that leads to a stuffy nose and nasal congestion. Keep moisture in the air with a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier; be sure to change the water and clean the unit properly. Steam from a shower or a hot cup of tea can also add extra moisture to the nasal passages to help with drainage.

Don’t Use Antibiotics to Treat Colds

Because colds are caused by viruses and not by bacteria, antibiotics are ineffective at treating colds. They will not relieve your symptoms and inappropriate use can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Get Ahead of Cold Symptoms

Though there’s no promise you’ll escape cold and flu season without a runny nose or sore throat, there are some steps you can take to increase your chances of staying healthy.

• Wash your hands frequently to help prevent coming into contact with or spreading harmful germs.
• Disinfect your environment and frequently clean commonly touched surfaces such as sink handles, doorknobs and handrails.
• Avoid sharing personal items, especially those that come in contact with your eyes, nose or mouth like utensils, washcloths or cups.
• Do not come in close contact with people who have colds or other upper respiratory infections.

Overall, pursue a healthy lifestyle to boost immunity by eating nutritious food, sleeping eight hours, drinking water, exercising and managing stress.

Fight Head Congestion with SUDAFED®

Consider taking SUDAFED PE® Head Congestion+Pain. With Ibuprofen (pain reliever) and phenylephrine (nasal decongestant), this coated tablet can help provide relief from your head cold symptoms and combat pesky nasal congestion and swelling, sinus pressure, headache, fever, and body aches. Always read and follow the label carefully, and make sure the product is right for you.

COVID-19 vs. The Common Chest Cold: Spotting The Difference 

With over 13,000,000 cases affecting people around the world, it is easy to see why we might feel paranoid over what could be a common chest cold. Unfortunately, COVID-19 symptoms are very similar to other illnesses. This means that a case of seasonal allergies or a minor cold could cause a panic. There are, fortunately, some differences between COVID-19 symptoms and common chest cold symptoms. 

COVID-19 Symptoms 

Coronavirus has a large variety of symptoms. These symptoms can present in a different variety depending on the person and can range from mild to severe. Coronavirus can cause: 

• Fever
• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Nausea 
• Vomiting
• Cough
• Congestion 
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell 
• Headaches
• Body aches
• Fatigue
• Difficulty breathing
• Shortness of breath

There is no current vaccine for coronavirus. However, doctors have been using a variety of medications and steroids to treat mild and severe cases of coronavirus. Pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen and cough medication have also proved to be useful in COVID-19 treatment. 

Common Chest Cold Symptoms 

Common chest colds happen when the airways of your lungs swell and produce mucus. When you have a common chest cold, you will most likely experience a sore throat, aches, pains, fatigue, a runny nose, chest congestion, a persistent hacking cough, and yellow or green phlegm. Chest colds typically get better within a week or so after fluids and rest. 

Comparison Between Symptoms 

When it comes to having a coronavirus, having a fever or headaches is common. However, with a cold, fever and headaches are rarer. Both COVID-19 and the common chest cold could sometimes involve fatigue. Diarrhea can rarely occur with COVID-19, but does not occur when you have a common chest cold. Having a sore throat or aches and pains is more common with a common chest cold, whereas these symptoms can only sometimes occur with COVID-19. A runny nose is common when with a chest cold, but rarer with COVID-19. A person with coronavirus will not sneeze, but sneezing is common with a chest cold. While both can cause coughing, coronavirus causes a dry cough and can often leave you breathless. The common chest cold will cause a yellow or green phlegmy cough. 

If you have a common chest cold, your symptoms are more likely to be mild and stay mild. The average cold will last 7 to 10 days. If your symptoms worsen or persist after 7 to 10 days, you may want to look into COVID-19 testing. If you are displaying any symptoms related to coronavirus, ensure that you are isolating yourself from others and are wearing a mask. 

COVID-19 Testing Near You 

If you display any symptoms of coronavirus, you may want to consider COVID-19 testing. If you are in the Bay Area and need COVID-19 testing or a consultation to see if you should get a test, BASS Urgent Care can help. After a Telehealth video with you, we will decide if a coronavirus test should be conducted. From there, we will schedule an appointment for you to receive your test. When you test for COVID-19 with BASS Urgent Care, you can remain in the comfort of your own vehicle or enter our CDC compliant facility. BASS Urgent Care understands that this is a stressful time for you, this is why we ensure that this process is easy and quick for you. You will receive your test results within 48-72 hours. To book an appointment, call us at (925) 329-3718 or visit us online.

How to Tell If Your Cold is Actually a Sinus Infection – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Without fail, that pesky cold hits you out of nowhere again. You feel miserable but still have to go on with your daily responsibilities, even when you know the cold isn’t serious. 

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

But how do you know if your runny nose, headache and nagging cough are actually signs of a sinus infection? While it’s true that many of the symptoms of both illnesses overlap, there are clues to help you tell the difference.

Rhinologist Troy Woodard, MD, describes these illnesses and shares four questions you should ask yourself to decide which you have, plus tips for treating your symptoms.

What does a cold look like?

A cold is a virus at work in your upper respiratory system (nose, mouth, throat and lungs). Typically, adults get between two and four colds per year with symptoms like:

How a sinus infection happens

Colds can progress to become sinus infections, but not all sinus infections are viral. Bacteria and even allergies also can cause sinus infections.

“A sinus infection occurs when the sinus lining becomes inflamed, preventing the sinuses from draining,” he says. “The trapped mucous becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which can lead to a sinus infection.”

Conditions that may make you more likely to get a sinus infection include:

• Allergies.
• Nasal polyps (small growths occurring in your nasal lining).
• Immunodeficiencies (conditions that impact how well your immune system works).

Sinus infection versus cold: How to tell the difference

When it comes to the battle between a sinus infection vs. cold, knowing which one you have is tricky. Dr. Woodard suggests that you consider these questions to tell the difference between the two:

1. How long have you had symptoms? Cold symptoms typically peak after three to five days and then improve over the next week. A sinus infection can stick around longer, though. If you have a runny nose, stuffy nose or sinus pressure that lasts for more than 10 days, suspect an infection.
2. Do you have sinus pressure? If you have persistent facial pain, pressure or tenderness, you may have a sinus infection.
3. What color is your discharge? If you have clear mucous, you probably have a cold. If you have yellow or green mucous, it’s probably a sinus infection.
4. Do you have bad breath? If your breath has you reaching for a piece of gum, you could have a sinus infection.

Other symptoms of a sinus infection may include loss of smell and taste, cough, congestion, fever, headache, fatigue or aches in your upper jaw and teeth.

Start treating your symptoms right away

Since viruses can’t be cured, treating colds is primarily aimed at improving symptoms.

“It’s important to remember that with colds and other viruses, taking an antibiotic won’t help you feel better any faster,” says Dr. Woodard. “In fact, taking an antibiotic unnecessarily can do more harm than good.”

The overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, which can make subsequent infections more difficult to treat.

“Get plenty of rest, stay hydrated and rinse out your sinuses with saline irrigation, which can help thin mucous and flush it from your nasal cavity,” he says.

When a sinus infection won’t go away

While it’s true that sinus infections sometimes clear on their own, antibiotics can sometimes shorten their duration.

Talk with your doctor if your symptoms don’t subside within 10 days or if you have persistent fevers, facial swelling or neck stiffness. As with colds, make sure you hit the sheets and get enough rest and drink your h3O. Proper hydration and nasal irrigation can ease sinus infection symptoms.

Cold, flu, allergies or COVID-19? How to tell the difference

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This article was updated June 26, 2020, to reflect new information from the CDC.

There are many similar symptoms of cold, flu, allergies and novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Sometimes, it may be difficult to determine what ailment you may be experiencing.

So how can you know whether you are dealing with allergies, a common cold, the flu or COVID-19?

The biggest difference is the shortness of breath associated with COVID-19. The flu or cold does not cause shortness of breath unless it progresses to pneumonia. Other symptoms of COVID-19 are fever and dry cough. On April 27, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded the list of symptoms to include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. On June 25, 2020, the CDC, again added three new symptoms to the list. The complete list of symptoms are:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

A cold, which could be triggered by more than 200 different viruses, can make you miserable but is relatively harmless. It usually clears up by itself after a period of time, although it can sometimes lead to a secondary infection, such as an ear infection. Common cold symptoms include sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat and mild to moderate chest discomfort and cough.

Influenza, however, can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold could actually be the flu. Symptoms include fever or feverish/chills, cough, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, runny or stuffy nose and sore throat.

Allergies are typically chronic conditions presenting with symptoms off and on depending perhaps on the season or your environment. Those suffering from allergies deal with itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing and nasal congestion.

Despite some overlap, the typical symptoms of COVID-19 are more similar to the flu than the common cold or allergies.

Reduce the risk of illness

So, you’ve decided you want to avoid all of the above.

How do you protect yourself from COVID-19?

• Wear a face mask when you go out in public
• Wash your hands often with soap and clean, running water for at least 20 seconds.
• If you don’t have access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer often. Make sure it has at least 60% alcohol.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth unless you have clean hands.
• As much as possible, don’t touch “high-touch” public surfaces such as doorknobs. Don’t shake hands.
• Clean home and work surfaces often with disinfectant.
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue into the trash. If you don’t have tissues, cough or sneeze into the bend of your elbow.
• Stay away from people who are sick.
• Stay informed about COVID-19 in your area. Follow local instructions about being in public. Be aware of events in your community that may be postponed or canceled, such as school and sporting events. You may be advised to not attend public gatherings and to stay about 6 feet from others as much as possible. This is called “social distancing.”
• Check your home supplies. Consider keeping a 2-week supply of medicines, food, and other needed household items.
• Don’t share eating or drinking utensils with sick people.
• Don’t kiss someone who is sick.
• Clean surfaces often with disinfectant.

How do you prevent the common cold?

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your nose or eyes, especially while around sick people.
• Clean surfaces with disinfectants that kill viruses to halt the spread of colds.

And how do you prevent the flu?

• Get a flu shot as soon as it is available each year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that infants over the age of 6 months and all children and adults get vaccinated every year.
• Wash your hands before eating and don’t put your hands near your face or in your mouth. Wash for at least 20 seconds; regular soap will do.
• If someone in your family has the flu, keep surfaces clean of the virus by wiping them with a cleaning solution containing chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, detergents, iodophors or alcohols. Flu viruses are also killed by heat above 167 F.
• Raise the humidity in your home or workplace. The flu bug exists in higher quantities in dry nasal and oral passages. By raising the humidity, your body will be better able to flush out the flu bug.

And what about allergies?

There’s not much to do to prevent allergies, but you can help prevent the symptoms by:

• Controlling your environment, such as using air conditioning during pollen season.
• Stay away from areas where there is heavy dust, mites, molds.
• Keeping away from pets if you have an issue with pet dander.

Still not sure about some of the symptoms you may be experiencing?

Visit OSF OnCall for a consultation with a health care provider or chat with Clare, our online digital assistant, who will check your symptoms and direct you to the right type of care.

7 Natural Remedies for Congestion Relief and Stuffy Nose

When you’re congested, the simple act of breathing can be a challenge. Whatever the cause — a sinus infection, allergies, a cold, or the flu — dealing with congestion can leave you feeling tired and dreary.

What’s happening inside your head when you have nasal congestion? “The nose has a vast network of blood vessels with valves that open and close,” says Scott P. Stringer, MD, professor and chairman of otolaryngology and communication sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. “When the nose is stimulated by any irritant, the nervous system is also stimulated, causing valves to open, which results in more blood entering the nose. This causes swelling in your nasal passages, which makes it difficult to breathe.”

Since sinus infections, colds, and allergies don’t just leave you congested and often come with a host of other symptoms, you might contemplate taking one — or several — drugs to end the misery. Yet doubling or tripling up on medication types is dangerous, and you may not find the relief you seek with over-the-counter meds or through a prescription.

Although over-the-counter options, such as decongestants, are often used to treat the stuffiness and headache caused by congestion, there’s significant risk of becoming dependent on these drugs, and they can leave you worse off in other ways, too.

If you use decongestants for more than three to five days, you may cause rebound swelling in your nasal passages, which can lead to a vicious cycle: Rebound swelling causes you to take more of the drug, but increased dosage causes it to lose its effectiveness, which then leads to even more use.

But some home remedies for mild sinus congestion can offer a simpler approach that’s both low-cost and lower-risk than medication. Whether you’re dried out or dehydrated, or want to shorten the duration of a cold or decrease the severity of symptoms, a natural home remedy could be a helpful option.

Even drinking plain old warm water may help clear your sinus passages. And you may already have other powerful ingredients on hand, like salt or garlic, in your pantry — both of which researchers believe may have an effect on congestion and colds. Read on to find out more about how to breathe easier with these non-drug approaches.

COVID-19 or something else? – Harvard Health

Learn how COVID-19 symptoms compare to other illnesses, and when you should call the doctor.

Before 2020, you might not have worried much about a tickle in your throat or a little tightness in your chest. But that’s changed.

Now even slight signs of a respiratory bug might make you wonder if it’s the start of COVID-19, the illness that has become a pandemic.

How do you distinguish one illness from another? It’s complicated.

“Many of the symptoms overlap. For example, it’s very hard for me clinically, as a physician, to be able to look at someone and say it’s COVID-19 or it’s influenza,” says Dr. Ashish Jha, former director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and now dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Don’t jump to conclusions if you start to feel sick. Learn the hallmarks of common illnesses and how they differ from COVID-19, so you can take the appropriate action.

COVID-19

COVID-19 is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by a type of virus (a coronavirus) called SARS-CoV-2. It’s a cousin of the common cold, but its potential consequences are far more serious: hospitalization, lasting complications, and death.

Hallmarks: Loss of taste and smell (in the absence of nasal congestion), fever, cough, shortness of breath, and muscle aches.

Other potential symptoms: Sore throat, diarrhea, congestion, runny nose, chills, shivering, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Note: Some infected people don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19, but they’re still contagious.

Influenza

Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the influenza A, B, or C virus. The U.S. flu season typically lasts from October to March, but flu is present year-round.

Hallmarks: Fever, muscle aches, and cough.

Other potential symptoms: Sore throat, diarrhea, congestion, runny nose, chills, shivering, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite.

Different from COVID-19: Flu usually does not cause shortness of breath.

Common cold

The common cold (viral rhinitis) is an upper respiratory infection that can be caused by any of hundreds of different viruses (including coronaviruses or rhinoviruses). It’s usually mild and resolves within a week.

Hallmarks: Congestion, runny nose, cough, and sore throat.

Other potential symptoms: Fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Different from COVID-19: A cold does not cause shortness of breath, body aches, chills, or loss of appetite, and it usually doesn’t cause fever.

Seasonal allergies

A seasonal allergy isn’t a virus; it’s caused when the immune system responds to a harmless non-human substance, like tree pollen, as if it were a dangerous threat. Allergies are typically seasonal, lasting for weeks or months, depending on the allergen in the air (mold is the common allergen in the fall and winter).

Hallmarks: Runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, congestion.

Other potential symptoms: Loss of smell from congestion.

Different from COVID-19: Allergies do not cause fevers, coughing, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, chills, headaches, fatigue, or loss of appetite.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung condition caused by inflammation in the air passages. Airways narrow and make it harder to breathe, which can cause concern that it might be COVID-19. “Asthma can be triggered by a cold or influenza, but it’s a separate condition,” Dr. Jha says.

Hallmarks: Wheezing (a whistling sound as air is forcibly expelled), difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and a persistent cough.

Other potential symptoms: A severe asthma attack can cause sudden, extreme shortness of breath; chest tightness; a rapid pulse; sweating; and bluish discoloration of the lips and fingernails.

Different from COVID-19: Asthma does not cause a fever, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, congestion, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, chills, shivering, headache, fatigue, or loss of appetite.

What you should do

Don’t be a hero and try to tough out an illness. Call your doctor to report any concerning symptoms, especially those of COVID-19 or flu; you may need a test and treatment.

“It’s a different era from when you didn’t want to bother your doctor,” Dr. Jha says. “Don’t deny yourself care. Your doctor would never want that. And the earlier you call, the sooner you can be treated if you need it.”

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90,000 How to recognize a mild form of coronavirus – Search

03/19/20

Everyone is afraid of the coronavirus, but the majority of those infected – more than 80 percent – carry the disease easily. Knowing the symptoms is very important, however, as you can become a carrier. Moreover, asymptomaticity is the main reason for the rapid spread of the virus, scientists say. So the main question for today is how to recognize the disease?

So, the symptoms of coronavirus are as follows – fever, cough (usually dry or with a little phlegm), shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest.Sometimes there may be signs of an acute sinus infection or a general feeling of illness without fever. With a mild form of the disease, the symptoms disappear after a week or two; in severe cases, they may persist for six or more weeks. There are also unusual signs, doctors say. For example, about two-thirds of the patients reported impairment of smell and taste. Diarrhea was noted in 30 percent of cases, RIA Novosti writes.

In a mild form, COVID-19 is manifested by a slight fever, a headache may be a little, a person gets tired quickly, feels sore throat, coughing, muscle aches, mild symptoms of a cold, pallor, chills.There may be a runny nose.

Advice on how not to confuse COVID-19 with SARS or colds: with SARS and colds, unlike COVID-19, the cough is wet, not dry, and there is always a stuffy nose and a runny nose. Similar symptoms include a slight fever and mild to moderate headache.

How not to confuse COVID-19 with influenza: COVID-19 and influenza have similar parameters: “both cause respiratory illness with a wide range of variations – from asymptomatic or mild to severe illness and death”.But with the flu, there is no shortness of breath or other breathing problems, and the temperature is almost always high, unlike COVID-19.

The recommendations of the Ministry of Health for medical workers indicate: any clinical manifestations of ARVI, bronchitis or pneumonia in combination with an epidemiological history are considered suspicious symptoms. They can be called:

– visiting 14 days before the first signs of infection in epidemiologically unfavorable countries and regions for COVID-19;

– close contacts in the last 14 days with persons with COVID-19, or those with laboratory confirmed this diagnosis;

– close contacts over the past 14 days with persons under observation in connection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

In any of these cases, if even mild symptoms of a cold appear, the infection should be called a doctor at home and not self-medicate.

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Andrey Gorbachev

90,000 Scientists have identified a new symptom of coronavirus :: Society :: RBC

Scientists warn of “brain fog” for “protracted COVID”

At the same time, British scientists emphasize that tinnitus and hearing problems in themselves do not mean infection with coronavirus and can accompany other diseases.Considered as a symptom of COVID-19, tinnitus can be combined with other symptoms associated with the disease.

Read on RBK Pro

As the pulmonologist Sergei Puryasev told RBC, if a viral infection is affected, you can face a large number of complications: kidneys, intestines, and nervous system suffer. “Hearing impairment is associated with neuritis of the auditory nerve. At first, it manifests itself as noise in the ears, and later there may be paresis and paralysis of the auditory nerve, a person may lose hearing, ”he said.

“After viral infections, both impotence and prostatitis can develop. It happens that people also lose sight. At the first signs of neuritis, you need to take action, take stronger anti-inflammatory drugs, ”added the doctor

Associate Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the RUDN University Sergei Voznesensky, in turn, said that he had not heard of such a symptom as hearing loss. “COVID-19 is a disease that can occur either with symptoms of acute respiratory infections, or with respiratory failure and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults.Development of infectious-toxic shock and septic process is still possible if secondary bacterial flora is added, ”he noted.

The list of the main symptoms of coronavirus provided by Rospotrebnadzor includes high fever, chills, headache, weakness, nasal congestion, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, conjunctivitis. In some cases, symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders may appear.

Video

The World Health Organization also adds to them fatigue, loss of taste and smell, skin rash.

Last week, scientists named several more symptoms that may indicate infection with the coronavirus: muscle aches, fatigue and blisters on the legs. Scientists emphasized that they can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the age of the sick and the characteristics of the organism.

The doctor called the signs of asymptomatic course of COVID-19

Experts interviewed by RBC believe that new symptoms discovered after nine months of fighting the virus may indicate new variants of infection.“We have been dealing with this infection for nine months, and during this time it is rather difficult to discover new symptoms. If they arise, then you need to think about whether there are new variants of the virus. Of the symptoms listed here, blisters on the legs are really unusual, the rest are typical of respiratory viral infections. This arouses interest, here we can talk about new variants of the virus, “says Anatoly Altshtein, virologist at the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.

In turn, the infectious disease doctor Valery Beznosenko pointed out that the variants of the skin manifestations of the coronavirus were described back in the spring and are in the methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Health.

The spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 in the world

Number of confirmed cases

Source: JHU

World data i

90,000 what is the risk of “long covid”? – MBH media

Ten months after the start of the pandemic, scientists began to release studies on “post-covid syndrome” – or “long covid”, a condition in which some symptoms persist for more than a month (in some cases, up to six months).It turned out that in almost 70% of people with “postcoid syndrome” dysfunctions of one or more organs are observed. “MBH Media” figured out what a “long covid” is, why it is compared with encephalitis and how they try to treat such patients.

The coronavirus pandemic has been with us for more than ten months. During this time, scientists have studied in detail the course of the disease itself, but little has been written about “long covid” – a condition in which people who have recovered from COVID-19 have some symptoms for a long time.Most often it is severe fatigue, headaches and muscle pains, “fog in the head”, shortness of breath, mental disorders.

And now scientists have found that “long covid” in almost 70% of patients also entails dysregulation of one or two organs: heart (32%), lungs (33%), kidneys (12%), liver (10%), pancreas (17%) and spleen (6%). The study was released on October 16 (although the peer review process has not yet passed), the media noticed it only a couple of days ago.

A study by a group of British scientists called Coverscan, which focuses on the effects of coronavirus on various organs, involved about 500 patients.The authors of the article paid special attention to those who are in the “low risk” groups – young people and those who did not have any chronic diseases that could worsen the course of the disease. Preliminary data show that organ dysfunction in almost 70% of patients occurs four months after the initial disease.

In Russia, “lingering covid” is called “postcoid syndrome”. The Russian-speaking Facebook group “atypical coronavirus (post-covid)” already has more than 22 thousand members.How many of them are in fact, is unclear: in the United States, about 35% of patients with moderate coronavirus symptoms prolonged. If we talk about those who were hospitalized, then in different countries the data fluctuate in the region of 70-80%.

The symptoms of the “post-lobe syndrome” are similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome. Although the clinical manifestations are very different (from shortness of breath and headaches to diarrhea and tachycardia), the main symptom is fatigue. It can be difficult even to get out of bed or make a mental effort, and after any action you have to rest for 40 minutes.These symptoms do not fit the typical understanding of a serious illness, although according to some reports, up to 75% of people diagnosed with chronic fatigue may be considered disabled.

For this reason, patients with “long covid” have to argue with doctors: to prove to them that their complaints are not psychosomatics (after all, they are no longer sick with COVID-19), but a condition caused by physical reasons and requiring therapy. Recently, activist Hannah Davis spoke at one of the WHO meetings, who has been suffering from coronavirus symptoms for more than six months.She demanded that patients like her be included in research programs, and the issue of “long covid” be recognized as important and requiring attention.

Pavel Vorobiev

In Russia, the “postcoid syndrome” has been little studied so far. Among those who advise patients on rehabilitation after coronavirus are doctor Pavel Vorobyov, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Chairman of the Board of the Moscow City Scientific Society of Physicians. Together with colleagues, he began collecting data from patients who have symptoms of coronavirus for a long time after the illness.

“About 1300 people answered our questionnaires. Although I personally did not lead them, this is part of our sponsored Facebook group, with which we work – there are only 15 thousand people in it. We are talking about large amounts of data, – says Pavel Vorobiev. “Personally, about forty people have passed through our hands of consulting doctors.”

In a lecture on “post-coid syndrome”, created as part of the rehabilitation program for patients after COVID-19 COVID REHAB, Vorobiev compares the syndrome with encephalitis.This disease is commonly associated with vectors, ticks and mosquitoes. But in reality it is just a group of diseases that are characterized by inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis can be viral, microbial, and even allergic.

Similar processes can occur in the case of “postcoid syndrome”, the doctor believes: only this is encephalomyelitis – inflammation of the entire nervous system, which remains after the virus leaves the body. In the case of encephalomyelitis, not only the central nervous system is affected, but also the peripheral and autonomic, the doctor points out.

“And this is not a complete list,” adds Vorobyov. “Encephalomyelitis implies that all nerve tissues can be affected.”

Similar disorders of the nervous system are found in some cases of chronic fatigue syndrome: it is now often called “myalgic encephalomyelitis” (that is, an inflammation of the membranes of the neurons in the brain, which leads to muscle pain).

A mutated form of coronavirus (blue) emerging from the cell. Illustration: Tim Vernon / Science Photo Library / East News

Pavel Vorobyov says that he has not seen cases of complete damage to any organ in patients, but has encountered individual dysregulation.“For example, people have sudden tachycardia. At the same time, there is nothing in the myocardium, – says the professor. – Or the person does not have enough air, squeezes the chest, shortness of breath, although the lungs are clean. It can also be wonderful – diarrhea. This is a very common symptom of “postcoid syndrome”, but the intestines do not suffer as such. ”

Overly active immunity is often blamed for chronic fatigue syndrome. According to this hypothesis, a virus (or bacteria, or toxin) acts as a trigger that triggers an excessive immune response, which in turn develops inflammation, which eventually reaches the nervous system.There is an assumption that it is precisely because of the imbalance of the immune system, which can cause COVID-19, that the “postcoid syndrome” develops.

In addition, people with “long covid” are more prone to thrombosis. It is thrombovasculitis that Pavel Vorobyov considers to be the basis of the “postcoid syndrome”. “This is inflammation with thrombosis, hemorrhages in the brain structures,” says the professor.

How to treat postcoid syndrome is not yet clear. Perhaps, in some patients, symptoms may persist for other reasons – these may be complications of COVID-19 itself (for example, adhesions on the lung tissue or on the heart) or the consequences of treatment (for example, after mechanical ventilation).As for those who have exactly an inflammation of the nervous system, here, most likely, patients will have to be treated only with the help of supportive therapy.

“Since we mean that the basis of the syndrome is thrombosis, we treat with anticoagulants,” says Pavel Vorobiev. – These are antithrombotic agents that prevent the formation of blood clots, they are prescribed to prevent various thrombotic things – for example, strokes. This does not correspond to their main purpose, but it is pathogenetically justified.Many positive results. I would say I have about 80%. ”

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How to distinguish between COVID-19, SARS and influenza?

According to Rospotrebnadzor, in parallel with the increase in the incidence of COVID-19 among the adult population and children from seven to 14 years old, the weekly thresholds for the incidence of ARVI are exceeded. Experts give advice on how to distinguish these infections and the flu from each other.

“Flu is characterized by a very high temperature – 39-40 degrees – and a cough with discomfort behind the breastbone. There are rhinoviruses – it pours from the nose, low temperature, a person sneezes. There are adenoviruses – a sore throat clinic, sore throat, swelling of the lymph nodes. For coronaviruses, in principle, the characteristic is in the form of temperature in the 37-38 corridor, cough, sore throat and the phenomenon of catarrhal sinusitis with a decrease in smell. This is typical for all viral infections, but coronaviruses seem to give it out more often, ”says therapist Ivan Skorokhodov.

According to the therapist of the family medicine center Varvara Veretyuk, temporary loss of smell occurs only in a third of cases. Heavy nasal discharge is usually not common with coronavirus infection, although nasal congestion is present. She also stressed that COVID-19 is not characterized by a cough with buzzing and whistling, which is more common with ARVI.

“It is possible to identify those symptoms that will help to suspect COVID-19: the most pathognomonic symptom is loss of smell and part of taste, prolonged and obsessive cough, shortness of breath, a variety of rashes that appear almost simultaneously with respiratory symptoms.In addition, there may be severe symptoms of intoxication that do not go away for more than two or three days, pain in muscles and joints, ”said infectious disease specialist Andrei Pozdnyakov.

Therapist Ivan Skorokhodov, among the alarming symptoms, names a temperature that does not pass for a long time. According to him, most viral infections “keep” the temperature for a maximum of three to five days. COVID-19 can have fever for up to a week. But focus only on her, lack of smell or coughing is not necessary.

“It all depends on the level at which the respiratory tract is affected. If at the level of the larynx, the cough will be rough, barking, there will be a sore throat. If this is the trachea, the cough will be with discomfort behind the sternum, scanty sputum, people say that it hurts in the chest. There is a bronchitis cough – with copious expectoration, with wheezing on breathing. But who caused these laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis: flu or covid? It’s hard to say. Therefore, only a set of signs can indicate the presence of a virus, and if we really want to get a clear answer, we must take a PCR test, ”he explained.

It is necessary to know the main symptoms of diseases, but at the same time, experts do not recommend self-diagnosis. For any ailment, you should see a doctor. Further, he will prescribe additional studies: if a coronavirus is suspected, PCR tests, which can be supplemented with a blood test for early antibodies and computed tomography of the lungs. After that, if necessary, special treatment is selected.

90,000 Pain when coughing – causes of occurrence, under what diseases it occurs, diagnostics and methods of treatment

IMPORTANT!

The information in this section cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-medication.In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, diagnostic tests should be prescribed only by the attending physician. For a diagnosis and correct treatment, you should contact your doctor.

Pain when coughing: causes of appearance, for what diseases it occurs, diagnosis and methods of treatment.

Definition

Pain when coughing is most often associated with respiratory diseases and is localized in the chest.

The respiratory system consists of the upper respiratory tract (nasal cavity, larynx) and the lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchi and lungs).The air passing through the respiratory tract is purified, warmed, and humidified. At the end of the smallest bronchi (bronchioles) are the alveolar passages and alveolar sacs, in which gas exchange takes place. Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar passages and alveolar sacs with alveoli make up the alveolar tree, or respiratory parenchyma of the lung. The listed structures, originating from one terminal bronchiole, form a functional and anatomical unit – the acinus. The alveolar passages and sacs belonging to one respiratory bronchiole make up the primary lobule (there are about 16 of them in each acinus).The number of acini in both lungs reaches 30,000, and alveoli – 300-350 million. Lobules are formed from acini, segments from lobules, lobes from segments, and a whole lung from lobes.

Each lung is enclosed in a double membrane – two layers of the pleura, between which there is a sealed pleural cavity filled with a very small amount of fluid.

A cough is the body’s defensive reaction to any irritation of the respiratory tract. Cough receptors can be irritated by phlegm, blood in the respiratory tract, mucus from the nose running down the back of the throat, various allergens, smoke, dust, foreign bodies, cold air, some medications, etc.

Varieties of pain when coughing

Pain when coughing can be strong or weak, sharp or dull, limited or diffuse. The localization of pain depends on the cause of the cough and on the affected organ. It can be felt in the throat, behind the breastbone, inside the chest, under the ribs, in the back, abdomen, and in the head. Cough and pain can be both symptoms of the same disease, or independent of each other.

Possible causes of pain when coughing

The following causes of pain when coughing are distinguished:

• overstrain of the respiratory muscles involved in coughing;
• diseases of the respiratory system;
• heart disease;
• Injuries and diseases of bones, muscles and nerves of the chest;
• diseases of the digestive system;
• kidney disease, etc.

What diseases cause pain when coughing?

In diseases accompanied by a constant painful cough, the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm are overstrained, which is manifested by a dull, diffuse muscle pain.

With inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea (with tracheitis), there is a dry, loud, hacking, rough cough, which is characterized by burning and pain behind the sternum.

The severity of pain decreases when a dry cough turns into a wet one.Tracheitis is more often infectious, caused by viruses or bacteria.

Patients’ general well-being worsens, body temperature rises.

With pneumonia (pneumonia), there is a deep cough with sputum production, chest pain appears in the projection of the inflamed area of ​​the lung.

The pain increases with coughing and deep inhalation due to the movement of the pleural sheets, and decreases if the patient lies on the side of the affected lung.

Inflammation of the lungs can be primary, in this case, the disease begins acutely – with chills, weakness, an increase in body temperature to 38-39 ° C, accompanied by a cough and difficulty breathing, more often proceeds as a croupous lesion, that is, the inflammatory process captures a whole share with involvement a large area of ​​the pleura. And it happens secondary, when the inflammation passes from the bronchi to the lung tissue. There is a focus of bronchopneumonia, but in this case, the pleura can become inflamed, with the only difference that the size of the lesion is much smaller.Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites can cause pneumonia.

Pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura) can be infectious and non-infectious. Infectious pleurisy occurs with pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchiectasis (dilation and deformation of the bronchi with the development of chronic purulent inflammation), tuberculosis, abscess under the diaphragm, inflammation of the peri-renal adipose tissue, inflammation of the pancreas. Non-infectious pleurisy is caused by systemic diseases of the connective tissue (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.)), the spread of tumor cells to the pleura, a decrease in the pumping function of the heart (for example, with myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism), chest injuries (closed rib fracture), etc. Pleurisy can be dry, in this case, the amount of fluid in the pleural cavity decreases, the inflamed pleural sheets do not slip, but rub against each other when breathing, which provokes a very painful reflex cough, which intensifies when inhaling. Pleurisy is exudative when, due to the inflammatory process, fluid is released and accumulates in the pleural cavity.During the period of fluid accumulation, the clinical picture is similar to dry pleurisy, then the fluid pushes the pleural layers apart, the pain becomes weaker, but at the same time, due to compression of the lung, shortness of breath occurs.

At gastroesophageal reflux disease due to the throwing of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus, its mucous membrane becomes inflamed, heartburn, sour eructation, pain, burning sensation behind the breastbone and cough intensifying the pain are observed.

Lung tissue does not have pain receptors, therefore in lung cancer pain appears when tumor cells invade the surrounding tissues – pleura, trachea, bronchi, etc.e. In this case, the patient is worried about a painful cough, often with blood. General health worsens, worries about weakness, weight loss for no apparent reason.

A similar situation arises if metastases from other organs enter the lungs, this can be in cancer of the breast, stomach, esophagus, rectum, skin (melanoma), kidney, liver, etc.

Pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), according to analogy with pleurisy, it is dry and effusion. It can be caused by heart disease (myocardial infarction, inflammation of the heart muscle, etc.)), various infections, systemic connective tissue diseases, heart trauma, tumors, etc. Dry pericarditis is accompanied by a gradually increasing dull, pressing pain behind the sternum, radiating to the neck, left scapula. In this case, there is a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dry cough, which increases the pain. As fluid accumulates between the layers of the pericardium, the condition worsens due to compression of the heart.

Intercostal neuralgia occurs when the intercostal nerve is compressed at the level of the exit from the spine or along its course.It manifests itself as a sharp, aching pain that intensifies during a deep breath and coughing.

Cough increases pressure in the abdominal cavity and pelvic region, therefore, with inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (for example, appendicitis), pelvic organs (for example, inflammation of the ovaries), hernias (white line of the abdomen, umbilical, inguinal), cough can provoke or intensify existing pain.

The cerebral and spinal cord is washed by the cerebrospinal fluid, its fluctuations during coughing increase the intracranial pressure , a headache occurs.This process can be natural, and can hide serious diseases: volumetric formations in the cranial cavity, vascular anomalies that impede the movement of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Which doctors should I contact?

First of all, you should turn to
a general practitioner or general practitioner, and he, if necessary, will refer you to a narrow specialist for consultation (
gastroenterologist,
neurologist,
cardiologist, etc.).

Diagnostics and examinations in case of pain when coughing

To identify the causes of pain when coughing, the doctor collects anamnesis, conducts a thorough examination of the patient and prescribes additional laboratory and instrumental studies.

• Clinical blood test with expanded leukocyte count.

Possible complications after COVID-19: a story of a patient from Germany | Analysis of events in political life and society in Germany | DW

Valerie Giesen takes a breath as he sits down on the bench. She has just walked about 800 meters. I didn’t run, but passed. However, this walk became for her the most exhausting physical exercise of the day. Valerie, 29, has a pounding heart and is short of breath.

Eight months ago, these 800 meters were a trifle for her. Valerie went to dance twice a week and from time to time to the pool or climbing section. The state in which the girl is now, many doctors describe the words “suffered an illness, but did not recover.” About six months ago, Valerie was ill with COVID-19, but she has not been able to restore her previous physical form to this day.

A debilitating illness

Giesen fell ill at the end of March. “My heart began to beat faster, I felt a strong pressure in my chest.I had never felt so unhealthy before, “she recalls. For two weeks, the girl practically did not get out of bed. She was accompanied by a feeling of complete exhaustion and pain in her lungs. Even going to the toilet was a real challenge for her then.” it took a long time to recuperate, “Valerie says.

400 kilometers from Copenhagen to Berlin by bike was not a problem

At the time, a young German woman was working as an anthropologist in Copenhagen.In the spring, she did not take the coronavirus test, since the capabilities of laboratories in the kingdom were limited. “In Denmark, then there was the first wave of the pandemic, and I was just scared to go to the hospital,” recalls Giesen. In June, she finally took the test. He confirmed that Valerie has antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

After her body was able to fight off the infection, Valerie felt completely healthy again. During her summer vacation, she even rode a bicycle 400 km from Copenhagen to her native Berlin, it never occurred to her that the illness she had suffered could still make itself felt.

However, this is exactly what happened at the end of August. Valerie was just about to go on a field expedition when she felt the same symptoms. It was difficult for her to breathe, she felt complete exhaustion and pressure in her chest.

Problems with breathing and concentration

“I could hardly raise my head. I felt this heaviness all the time,” recalls Valerie. Her neighbors helped her in every possible way during this difficult time: they cooked for her and went for groceries. Nevertheless, Valerie found it very difficult to come to terms with the situation in which she was completely dependent on other people.

For eight weeks now, the girl has been struggling with the symptoms described above. During this time, she returned from Copenhagen to Berlin and again lives with her parents. “In Denmark, I didn’t know how to proceed,” she says. Attending physician Giesen in Copenhagen could not help her, but now she is feeling a little better. “I can already sit up straight and say more than two or three sentences in a row,” she adds.

Provisional diagnosis: “postvoid wasting”

In Berlin, Valerie Giesen passed several tests in one of the hospitals.An examination of her heart revealed no abnormalities, just like a lung function test. At the moment, the diagnosis given to her sounds like this: “postcoid wasting syndrome”. According to preliminary medical data, it means a state of persistent fatigue, as well as a feeling of infection and impaired concentration.

The first small studies carried out in Italy and Ireland show that the majority of patients with COVID-19 continued to suffer from feelings of exhaustion and shortness of breath for several weeks after formal recovery.However, scientists today do not have a clear idea of ​​the possible long-term consequences of coronavirus infection, and it is still premature to judge them.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that symptoms of coronavirus infection can appear for months or return after the patient recovers – even in cases where he suffered the disease relatively easily. This also applies to young people who are not at risk, like Valerie Giesen.

Now, according to the girl’s stories, she goes to rest several times a day.She has to do this in order to recuperate, as the energy supply is quickly depleted.

Self-help group advice for COVID-19 survivors

Valerie has vitamins and turmeric tea in her kitchen. Fruits and vegetables are on the shelf next to it. The girl is attentive to her diet and seeks to eat as many foods with anti-inflammatory properties as possible.

Turmeric has an anti-inflammatory effect

Thus, she tries to improve her well-being on her own, primarily because so little medicine is known about her current state.Valerie draws useful advice in this area from the American online self-help group, organized by activists of the Body Politic movement.

In the Slack messenger, several thousand members of this group share their experiences of dealing with the long-term consequences of COVID-19. Valerie Giesen looks into this chat every day. “For me, it’s a comforting evening ritual that makes me feel less alone,” she says.

Valerie herself has repeatedly tried to cheer up other members of the group.After all, with each new day she feels a little better. The young German woman hopes that her story will help other people to understand what coronavirus infection can lead to.

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  Maxima’s maximum hat

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  Such fluffy skirts (well, maybe, after all, a little narrower) were worn in the era of the English Queen Elizabeth I. With them, the distance is guaranteed!

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90,000 You cannot order your heart: doctors told about what chest pain can testify

Among the cases of death in our country, cardiovascular diseases have long and firmly held the first place. And in terms of mortality from acute myocardial infarction, Russia occupies one of the leading places in the world. Heart problems have many precursors and earliest symptoms, many of which can be easily confused with signs of other diseases.

Which ones? We tried to figure it out.

Pounding and about to jump out

A strong heartbeat manifests itself as a feeling of heart failure, it seems that the heart is almost “jumping out” of the chest or freezing. Attacks may be accompanied by weakness, discomfort in the region of the heart, and fainting.

Such symptoms may indicate tachycardia, angina pectoris, heart failure.

If you have at least one of these symptoms, it is important to immediately consult a doctor and undergo tests to determine an accurate diagnosis.

Exception . A strong heartbeat can occur with increased physical exertion, as a result of a person’s emotional arousal, or due to overeating.

Burns in the chest

A burning sensation in the chest may be a symptom of heart failure. In this case, a cough, severe shortness of breath, a blue tint of the lips and ears, wheezing, cough with blood impurities, a feeling of lack of air may appear.

If you do not provide timely assistance to the patient, the risk of cardiac arrest increases, which can lead to death.

Exception. The burning sensation can be caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Most often, discomfort occurs during and after meals and is accompanied by bouts of nausea. This is due to the increased acidity level, which contributes to the heaviness in the breasts. See your doctor, because we can talk about gastritis or ulcers, as well as a hernia in the diaphragm. Also, often the cause of a burning sensation in the chest area on the left side are diseases of the spine – osteochondrosis or displacement of discs.

Pain behind the sternum

Severe prolonged pain behind the sternum, radiating to the left arm, neck and back, is characteristic of developing myocardial infarction. Chest pains with myocardial infarction are extremely severe, up to loss of consciousness.

Stitching pain is accompanied by a feeling of fear of death, panic, psychomotor agitation, pallor or redness of the face, instability of pressure and pulse, sweating.

Exception . Often this heart pain is confused with intercostal neuralgia, a syndrome that occurs when the intercostal nerves are inflamed.Several symptoms will help distinguish heart pain from intercostal neuralgia. Firstly, if the painful sensations behind the sternum do not disappear within 20-30 minutes, but, on the contrary, intensify and do not subside from taking medications (nitroglycerin, for example), this may indicate an impending heart attack. You need to call an ambulance as soon as possible.

Secondly, heart disease can upset the digestive system. If pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract have not been treated for a long time, it is worth visiting a cardiologist for a consultation.Shortness of breath should also be an alarming signal: it usually goes away at rest. If shortness of breath against the background of pain in the sternum does not go away even at rest, but increases, again an ambulance must be called urgently.

Gives to the jaw

Compressive pain or burning sensation in the lower jaw, especially in stressful situations, should alert you. Under stress, the heart works faster, and, accordingly, it needs more blood and oxygen. If there are atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries, narrowing their lumen by 50% or more, myocardial ischemia develops – a pathological condition consisting in a lack of oxygen to the heart.

It is possible to understand that a toothache is caused precisely by heart problems by some signs. Pain in the lower jaw, and sometimes in the teeth, is diffuse in nature – it is impossible to determine the place of pain formation in a particular tooth, the whole jaw hurts. Such manifestations are clearly associated with physical or emotional stress. The pain syndrome passes either at rest, with stabilization of blood pressure, or after taking drugs that quickly cause expansion of the coronary arteries of the myocardium.

Exception . In most cases, it can be normal caries or pulpitis.

Pain during movement

One of the alarming signals is unexpected pain during physical exertion – when accelerating a step, walking uphill, there is a feeling of squeezing or burning behind the sternum, possibly with a return to the neck or left arm. This is often accompanied by edema, shortness of breath, shortness of breath, rapid pulse. This can be a characteristic sign of angina pectoris.

If suddenly, lifting a heavy suitcase, you experienced something similar, urgently rush to the cardiologist. After all, coronary artery disease at any time can lead to myocardial infarction.

Gives to the back of the head

Chest pain radiating to the back of the head, back, groin may be a symptom of an aneurysm or aortic dissection.

This disease is dangerous because it can proceed without symptoms. They appear when the dilated vessel begins to squeeze adjacent organs.