What causes left chest pain in men?

There are many reasons why men experience left chest pain. The most common one is heart disease, and the more common one is pleurisy. There is also chest pain caused by reflux of gastric acid. Men experience chest pain more frequently than women because they are often exposed to tobacco and alcohol in their daily lives, so they are more likely to have diseases in their organs.

Identifying the causes of chest pain

It turns out that many people have experienced chest pain. Some people think it is a heart attack, but many more people ignore it. Yes, it may be a symptom of coronary heart disease, but it may also be just a trivial chest wall pain or stomach acid. If you figure it out, you won't panic.

Case: Chest pain like burning fire

Mr. Cai, 49, works in the construction industry. Three years ago, he felt pain in both shoulders, especially in his left shoulder. His heart was beating very fast, so he suspected that he had a heart problem and went to a public hospital to see a doctor.

A doctor familiar with Mr. Cai's condition said that he actually had other symptoms, such as stomach discomfort, chest pain and burning pain like being burned by fire, and he could not fall asleep when lying down because of the rising of stomach acid.

Kwan Chi-pong, a committee member of the Hong Kong Gastroenterology Society, pointed out that people with acid reflux may also suffer from coronary heart disease, especially those like Mr. Cai who have three high-risk factors for heart disease - male, smoking and high cholesterol. Doctors are also worried about whether they will suffer from two diseases at the same time.

Confirmed that only acid reflux

While waiting for various tests at a public hospital, Mr. Cai was still very worried. Finally, he went to see a private cardiologist. The doctor said there was no reason for coronary heart disease to cause chest burning. He took the "底丸" to control angina twice, but the chest pain still persisted.

Mr. Cai heard that the pain of coronary heart disease is like three books pressing on the chest, so he also took three books to try, but the feeling was completely different from what he felt.

Finally, he underwent three different heart examinations in six months, and the doctors could not find any evidence that he had heart disease. After a gastroscopy, they confirmed that Mr. Cai was suffering from acid reflux and esophagitis.

Chest pain has different causes

Cardiologist Gao Deqian pointed out that many patients with chest pain usually assume that they are having a heart attack. In fact, most patients who seek treatment from cardiologists have chest pain due to other diseases.