The 8 Differences Between Anxiety And Heart Problems
An anxiety attack and a heart attack can produce similar symptoms on a physiological level, but they should not be confused. In this article we will talk about 8 differences between anxiety and heart problems (or anxiety attack vs. heart attack) that can help us establish if we are in one situation or another.
It is important to note, as cardiologists assure, that not all patients who suffer a heart attack present characteristic symptoms, nor do all patients who present X heart attack symptoms suffer from it. And the same goes for anxiety.
The 8 differences between anxiety and heart problems
What differences between anxiety and heart problems do we find? We talk about the most relevant differences that can help us make a good differential diagnosis.
However, for anyone who finds himself in a picture that fits with the one we describe, it is good to remember that a proper diagnosis should always be made by a professional.
Type of chest pain
In heart attack, chest pain is characterized by a feeling of tightness, heaviness, or very intense discomfort. In this sense, patients often define it as “a slab in the chest ” or as “a pain never experienced before.” On the other hand, in anxiety (or in an anxiety attack), the pain is of another type. It is usually a pain similar to that of a puncture.
Pain location
Another difference between anxiety and heart problems is the location of that chest pain. In a heart attack, the pain is diffusely located behind the breastbone.
As Dr. Pizarro assures, it is a type of pain that radiates to the left shoulder and arm, the anterior area of the neck or the jaw.
On the other hand, in the anxiety attack, the pain is located in a more specific point; it can be pointed with the finger, usually in the inframammary area.
Duration of pain
Although in each case the duration of pain can vary greatly, generally in heart attack the pain lasts several minutes, and can become persistent. According to specialists, this pain is either maintained or increased in intensity.
In contrast, in anxiety, the pain can last from seconds to days. That is, it can be a much longer pain, but also much shorter.
Pain changes depending on posture
In a heart attack, no movement can relieve the pain in the chest. However, in an anxiety attack, it can be relieved with deep breathing techniques.
Also with certain movements or with the swallowing itself. In addition, in this second case (in anxiety), the pain is reproduced with palpation.
Respiratory disturbances
Another of the main differences between anxiety and heart problems, beyond the type of chest pain, has to do with respiratory disorders or symptoms. In anxiety it is common for this type of symptom to appear. In this sense, it is a symptom that is part of the overactivation of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, typical of anxiety. It manifests itself through a sensation of suffocation or hyperventilation …
In contrast, respiratory disorders are not characteristic of heart problems. Thus, the person who suffers them can breathe normally. In this sense, you may have breathing difficulties, but hyperventilation is not so frequent (and if it does appear, it is as a result of anxiety).
Feeling of loss of control
The feeling of loss of control is a characteristic cognitive or psychological symptom of anxiety. Especially from anxiety attacks.
On the other hand, in a heart attack, as a heart problem, this symptom does not usually appear. Thus, unless the heart problem itself causes an anxiety crisis, this symptom does not have to manifest itself.
Tingling and numbness
Another difference between anxiety and heart problems (or anxiety attack vs. heart attack) is the tingling sensation. This appears in anxiety frequently in the form of numbness and tingling in the arms and legs.
In addition, these sensations are often accompanied by sudden pinpricks. In contrast, in a heart attack there is a uniform numbness, without variations, and this usually affects only one part of the body.
Other symptoms
In heart attack, beyond chest pain, it also appears: nausea, pain in the pit of the stomach, a burning sensation in the chest … In anxiety, there typically appears a tingling sensation in the fingers and tremors.
Having an anxiety attack is very different from having a heart attack. Although anxiety and heart problems may share common elements (such as subjective discomfort, chest pain or pressure, etc.), they are by no means the same.
Thus, it is important to identify the symptoms in each case because, as we have seen, they are pathologies that present notable differences (especially in relation to the type of chest pain). Finally, we insist that a reliable diagnosis should always be made by a professional.
