Why do patients with biliary disease have “heartburn”?

Patients with biliary disease (cholecystitis, gallstones, cholesterol polyps) often have symptoms of “chest tightness and heart pain” and mistake them for heart disease, which is actually a complication of biliary disease – biliary heart syndrome. This is a complication of biliary disease – biliary heart syndrome. This is mainly due to the lack of blood supply to the heart caused by the nerve reflex stimulated by biliary pain, resulting in angina pectoris, arrhythmia and abnormal changes in the electrocardiogram. Biliary heart syndrome generally refers to the combination of cardiac symptoms in the absence of organic heart disease in people with biliary disease, and the above condition will disappear when the biliary disease is alleviated or cured. The abdominal examination shows tension, pressure pain, rebound pain and positive Murphy’s sign in the right upper abdomen and the middle of the epigastrium. In cases with pus accumulation in the gallbladder or peribiliary abscess, a mass with pressure pain or an obviously enlarged gallbladder can be found in the right upper abdomen. When abdominal pain and abdominal muscle tension extend to other regions of the abdomen or the whole abdomen, it suggests gallbladder perforation. Or there may be acute peritonitis. Mild jaundice may occur in 15% to 20% of patients due to peripheral edema of the gallbladder duct, gallstone compression and liver damage caused by pericholangitis, or inflammation involving the common bile duct, causing spasm and edema of the sphincter of Oddi and resulting impaired bile drainage. If the jaundice increases significantly, it indicates the possibility of obstruction of the common bile duct with stones or complications of choledocholithiasis. Severe cases may show signs of peripheral circulatory collapse. Blood pressure is often low, and infectious shock may occur, especially in severe cases of septic gangrene.