Gastrocardial syndrome, or Remkheld’s disease, is a syndrome in which a complex of disturbances in the functioning of the heart caused by food intake occurs. Especially often it occurs when overeating. For the first time this disease was described by L. Rehmeld in 1912. Initially, this disease was considered as a cardiac neurosis.
American doctors do not recognize this syndrome as a disease, believing that it simply does not exist. The disease is recognized in some European countries, including Russia.
Remkheld's syndrome (gastrocardial syndrome): causes
Manifestations of the syndrome are very misleading. The heart is closely connected with the nerve endings with many organs, so there are cases when the heart disease is reflected by pain in other organs, and vice versa. The same thing happens here. During
the digestion of food in patients suffering from gastric ulcer or cancer of the esophagus, irritation of the mucous membrane of the digestive organs occurs, which are associated with the heart by nerve endings. This neighborhood is expressed in symptoms that are confused with a heart attack.
Remkheld’s syndrome is more common in people suffering from vegetovascular diseases, a hernia of the esophagus, an ulcer of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, malignant neoplasms of the esophagus and overweight. As a rule, the main cause of the syndrome is excessive excitation of the vagus nerve.
Remheld's syndrome: symptoms and manifestations
They appear periodically and are associated with meals. The main symptoms include:
- Constant weakness and high fatigue.
- Dizziness.
- Blanching of the skin.
- Sensation of anxiety.
- Burping.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Pain in the chest and heart.
- Cold sweating.
- Bradycardia
- Increased blood pressure.
- Nausea and vomiting.
Diagnosis of the disease
When contacting a doctor, an anamnesis is collected. An examination of the heart, stomach and esophagus is prescribed. If according to the results of the study no cardiac changes on the ECG are noted, and ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and radiography reveal diseases of the stomach, esophagus and diaphragm, the diagnosis is made of Remkheld’s syndrome, or gastrocardial syndrome. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of the attending physician.
At the same time, conducting FGDS is extremely undesirable, as it can cause a deterioration in the well-being of the patient.
Particular attention should be paid to the heart of the patient. If the patient complains of the appearance of a rapid heartbeat not only after eating, then this may indicate the onset of angina pectoris.
Treatment of gastrocardial syndrome
When diagnosed with Remkheld’s syndrome, treatment begins with the elimination of the underlying disease, which caused the
disease of the esophagus and stomach. The effectiveness of treatment is directly related to the patient's compliance with all the doctor's prescriptions, namely:
- Food should be in small portions, at least 4 times a day, while all fatty and fried foods should be excluded from the diet.
- The last meal should consist of light foods, so as not to overload the stomach during sleep.
- Spicy and salted foods should not be eaten.
- Do not eat too hot food.
- To increase the amount of fiber in the diet, it facilitates digestion and eliminates constipation when eating foods containing a large amount of protein.
- Exclude legumes and any other foods that cause increased gas production from the diet.
- Monitor intestinal function, avoid disorders and constipation.
- To restore normal cardiac activity, use light sedatives, which include herbal preparations.
- In case of painful symptoms, take antispasmodics.
- In the event of excess weight, measures are necessarily taken to eliminate this problem.
In the event that the drug treatment was ineffective, they resort to surgical intervention, in which the hernia gate is sutured, the stomach is fixed.
If the patient is diagnosed with Remkheld’s syndrome (gastrocardial syndrome), treatment will be most effective only if all the doctor’s recommendations are fully observed.
How to avoid the return of the disease
After eliminating all the troubling symptoms and manifestations of the disease, do not abandon the prescribed diet in order to avoid relapse. People affected by this disease are advised to monitor not only their nutrition, but also the health of their nervous system. That is why a variety of herbal-based sedatives are prescribed. At the same time, the right lifestyle, proper nutrition, the absence of bad habits and constant exercise in sports will help to avoid the further return of the disease.
What can confuse gastrocardial syndrome
Pain in the region of the heart is caused not only by Remkheld’s syndrome, therefore, if the patient has already encountered this problem and the symptoms return, do not self-medicate. To confirm the diagnosis, it is extremely important to undergo a full examination by a doctor to exclude possible heart diseases. It is possible that pain in the heart can be caused not only by Remkheld’s disease. Syndrome of a disease of the stomach and esophagus is far from the only one that causes discomfort in the chest area after eating. Myocardial infarction, a disease in which cardiac necrosis occurs due to a partial or complete lack of blood supply, has similar symptoms.
It is precisely because of neglect of one’s health that a very dangerous disease can be missed for a person’s life, it is so important to consult a specialist, conduct all necessary studies and prescribe the necessary treatment.