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Suggest Treatment For Severe Anxiety

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Posted on Fri, 12 Aug 2016
Question: how can you tell if your having anxiety attack compared to heart issues?
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
heart- symptoms tend to occur with activity, not at rest

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between the two.

Anxiety and heart disease can cause chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath.

These symptoms tend to occur during activity if related to the heart and then stop at rest unless the persons has very severe heart disease (in which case would have a previous history of the symptoms occurring on activity and progressing to occurring at rest, they would also be on medication for heart disease)

This means that if a persons states that they have chest pain/shortness of breath/palpitations etc at rest (sitting, laying down, standing still) then unlikely related to the heart.

If investigations such as ECG, are done, they may show changes in persons with heart disease.
An ECG can give an indication that there are areas of the heart with decreased blood supply.

In anxiety , some persons can identify triggers for their anxiety reaction.

Normally when a persons presents with possible heart related symptoms- an ECG , blood tests (for anemia and thyroid if there are palpitations) are done.
If these are normal then anxiety is a possibility.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Severe Anxiety

Brief Answer: heart- symptoms tend to occur with activity, not at rest Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between the two. Anxiety and heart disease can cause chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath. These symptoms tend to occur during activity if related to the heart and then stop at rest unless the persons has very severe heart disease (in which case would have a previous history of the symptoms occurring on activity and progressing to occurring at rest, they would also be on medication for heart disease) This means that if a persons states that they have chest pain/shortness of breath/palpitations etc at rest (sitting, laying down, standing still) then unlikely related to the heart. If investigations such as ECG, are done, they may show changes in persons with heart disease. An ECG can give an indication that there are areas of the heart with decreased blood supply. In anxiety , some persons can identify triggers for their anxiety reaction. Normally when a persons presents with possible heart related symptoms- an ECG , blood tests (for anemia and thyroid if there are palpitations) are done. If these are normal then anxiety is a possibility. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions