Panic Attack vs Heart Attack - Know And Tell The Difference

Pain in the chest. One is sharp and stabbing, and the other is squeezing pain with pressure. Both are enough to send you scrambling for medical attention—and religious intervention. One induces panic; the other one can kill you.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. We’re talking about heart attacks and panic attacks. Ever felt one? Then you’d know what I’m talking about. Having a heart attack can cause someone to panic, which might mess things up even more. If someone thinks that they may be having a heart attack, it’s time to seek emergency medical attention.

To learn the difference between panic attacks and heart attacks, we could learn what each is first.

What Is a Panic Attack?

Panic attacks are sudden bouts of intense feelings of fear.

A panic attack happens without notice. Symptoms normally peak within 10 minutes after it starts and then vanish soon after. Physical symptoms of a panic attack are

• Chest pain.

• Racing heart

• Breathing issues and hyperventilation

• Trembling or shaking

• Chills

• Nausea

• Sweating

• Tingling or numbness in the extremities.

You might also feel

• As if you’re choking or being smothered.

• Fear of losing control.

• Like you are going to die.

• De-realisation (feelings of unreality), or depersonalisation (feeling detached from yourself).

Panic attacks are downright unpleasant and can be very disconcerting. If you have had symptoms of a panic attack, it is vital to see a healthcare provider. They can give you an official diagnosis and ensure no underlying physical cause.

How Long Does a Panic Attack Normally Last?

Panic attacks usually last five to 20 minutes. However, some people have reported attacks that last an hour.

Experts remain confused as to why some people experience panic attacks or develop a panic disorder. Your brain and nervous system play important roles in perceiving and handling fear and anxiety.

Researchers think dysfunction of the amygdala - the brain segment that processes fear and other emotions - might cause these conditions. They also believe chemical imbalances in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), cortisol and serotonin might play an important role.

You are at risk of having a panic disorder, if you have

Family History

Anxiety disorders, including panic disorders, often run in families. You are at 40% increased risk of developing panic disorder if one of your first-degree relatives (biological siblings, children or parents) have this condition.

Mental Health Conditions

People suffering from anxiety disorders, depression or other mental health ailments are more prone to panic attacks.

ACE - Adverse Childhood Experiences

ACEs refer to negative experiences that occur between the ages of 1 and 17. These experiences are primarily traumatic events. ACEs could contribute to the development of panic attacks and panic disorder.

What Triggers Panic Attacks?

Usually, panic attacks have no specific trigger. However, people who have a phobia can experience phobia-related triggers that could lead to a panic attack. For example, someone with trypanophobia (intense fear of needles) could undergo a panic attack if they have to get their blood drawn for a medical test. For some unfortunate folks, the fear of having a panic attack is enough to trigger one.

Your healthcare provider will enquire about your symptoms and medical history. They might run tests to rule out medical conditions that result in similar symptoms like panic attacks, such as heart disease, thyroid disease and respiratory (breathing) problems.

For the lack of an underlying physical cause, your provider could make a diagnosis depending on the symptoms and risk factors.

Persistent worry about further panic attacks or their consequences. Altering your behaviour to avoid situations that you think could trigger panic attacks.

In addition, the attacks cannot be because of the direct effects of a substance or general medical condition. And they can’t be better accounted for by another mental health ailment, like a phobia or PTSD.

Psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of both are straight up effective in treating panic attacks and panic disorders. How long you will require treatment, depends on the severity of the condition and how well you respond to treatment.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is a term that describes a range of treatment techniques that look to help a person identify and change unhealthy emotions, thoughts and behaviours.

Specific varieties of psychotherapy that can assist with panic attacks and panic disorder are

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

In this variety of therapy, you discuss thoughts and emotions with a mental health professional, like a licensed counselor or psychologist. This specialist picks and identifies panic attack triggers, so you can change your thinking, behaviours and reactions. As you begin to respond differently to triggers, the attacks might decrease and stop, ultimately.

Exposure therapy

This involves exposure to whatever triggers a panic attack. Over time you learn to become comfortable with the situation, instead of it causing anxiety and panic. You will learn relaxation techniques, like breathing exercises, to manage your anxiety throughout the process.

Medications that can help treat panic attacks and panic disorders include

Antidepressants

Particular antidepressant medications can make panic attacks more frequent or less severe. Healthcare providers might prescribe serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

SSRIs could be fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil). SNRIs could be duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor).

Antianxiety medications

Providers mostly recommend benzodiazepines to treat and prevent panic attacks. They can assist with anxiety, but you can get hooked on them, so be careful. These medications include alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan).

Your doctor can help you identify triggers which cause panic attacks. During psychotherapy, you learn strategies to manage triggering events and prevent an attack. You may also take such actions to lower your risk of having a panic attack.

• Stop smoking, drinking and coffee.

• Exercise regularly, to manage stress, relieve tension and boost mood.

• Eat healthy.

• Manage stress healthily.

Speak to your provider about herbal supplements or OTC medications. Be careful though. Some substances can boost anxiety.

Heart attacks

Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) refers to a medical emergency where the heart muscle starts dying because of lack of blood flow. An arterial blockage causes this. If your healthcare provider can’t restore blood flow quickly enough, a heart attack can result in permanent heart damage and death.

Heart attacks are dangerous - let’s get that out of the way. They happen because of lack of blood flow - something related to a blockage in one or more of your heart’s arteries.

Without blood, the impacted heart muscle starts to die. If blood flow isn’t resumed quickly, a heart attack can result in permanent damage or death.

When a heart attack happens, blood flow to a part of the heart stops or is far below normal, resulting in injury or death to that part of the cardiac muscle. When a part of the heart is unable to pump because it is dying from lack of blood flow, it can throw a spanner in the works of the pumping function of the heart. This can bring down or stop blood flow to the rest of the body - deadly, if not stopped soon enough.

Usually, heart attacks happen because of blockages in one of the blood vessels supplying the heart. Usually, this happens because of plaque - a sticky substance that can accumulate in the insides of the arteries. This is known as atherosclerosis. When there’s too much atherosclerotic buildup in the blood vessels to the heart, it is known as coronary artery disease.

Usually plaque deposits inside the coronary (heart) arteries can break open or rupture, and a blood clot could get stuck at the place of this rupture. If the clot blocks the artery, this can deprive the heart muscle of blood, resulting in a heart attack.

Heart attacks are possible without ruptured plaque, however this is rare and only accounts for 5% of all heart attacks. This type of heart attack can happen because of

• Coronary artery spasm

• Rare medical conditions, like any disease that results in the unusual narrowing of blood vessels.

• Trauma that results in tears or ruptures in the coronary arteries.

• Obstructions that happen somewhere else in the body like a blood clot or an air bubble that ends up in a coronary artery.

• Eating disorders which, over time can damage the heart and result in a heart attack.

• Anomalous coronary arteries (heart issues that happen at birth, where the coronary arteries are in abnormal positions)

• Other conditions that can cause the heart not to receive as much blood as it should for a prolonged period of time, especially when blood pressure is low, oxygen is low or your heart rate is too fast.