What causes tightness in heart area while suffering from hypertension?
Patient: Over the past couple of months, I have noticed some slight pain and tightness in my heart area.  I have lost 25lbs over the past year and 3 months but am still very overweight (5'1" and 180 lbs.)  I try hard to eat healthy and exercise (walking) as much as I can (about 15-20 min. several times a week).  I am borderline high blood pressure that I take meds for.  I am borderline diabetic that I also take meds for.  Should I be concerned that something bad is going on.  BTW, I also have a family history of heart issues: high bp, heart attacks, bypasses, etc. Doctor: hi and pleased to answer youYou have a very high body mass index (34) while standards are less than 25. Moreover, you are suffering from both, hypertension and diabetes.What I can tell you is that your blood is sweet (diabetes), sugar behaves like a strong oxidizing potential of cholesterol particles, making your cholesterol harmful from a quality point of view.So you risk tremendously to see your coronary vascular axes (cardiac muscle nutrition) limit the nutritional flow to the heart muscle and therefore you will have to undergo chest pain following this irrigation deficiency especially during any activities.So, you not only need to decrease your weight but you must absolutely stabilize your diabetes and hypertension.In the present context of the clinical symptoms that you feel, it seems to me also very urgent to make a thorough consultation with your cardiologist and to highlight the damage present at the coronary level in order to establish an adequate therapeutic regimen.best wishes