Are These Symptoms of a Panic Attack or Heart Attack?
Heart disease affects more and more women every year. The symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack are very similar and thus leave many women confused and disoriented about which is happening to them. The only real way to tell the difference is through careful medical testing and the use of an EKG.
What are the Common Symptoms?
When a person is having a heart attack, things do not always happen as quickly as they do on television. Symptoms tend to begin early, but are often disregarded as stress related or food related. The initial symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack include shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations and indigestion.
How Do I Know the Difference?
The only way to truly tell the difference between the symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack is to seek immediate medical attention. The first thirty minutes of a heart attack are very crucial. It is during this time that the heart can be saved from permanent damage that could lead to further heart troubles later in life.
Many women who experience a heart attack think the symptoms are more closely related to a panic attack and therefore never get medical attention for the problems they are experiencing. The idea is to seek medical attention for the symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack at the initial signs of a problem.
Seeking medical attention for these symptoms is not as easy as dropping in to your family physician. The only way to tell the difference between the symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack is through the use of an EKG. An EKG measures the heart rhythms and electrical output of the heart. If the woman is having a heart attack, the EKG will show and treatment can begin. But, if the patient goes to the doctor first, those critical 30 minutes will be lost and permanent damage to the heart can occur.
The heart is not an organ to play with. If you are having any symptoms including shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations and indigestion, immediately go to the hospital and have an EKG. Those few minutes and few dollars can help to save your life and your heart from damage. The symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack are too similar to gauge without the medical treatment provided by a hospital.
