Panic Attacks: A Warning Sign?

The symptoms - pain, anxiety, shortness of breath and fear - that signal a panic attack can feel like a heart attack and doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital have found a link between the two. In a study of postmenopausal women, those who'd had a panic attack in the previous six months were four times more likely to have a heart attack in the next five years.

A panic attack may increase the risk of heart trouble by adding to changes in heart rhythm, or attacks could be a sign of unrecognised heart problems, says study author Professor Jordan Smoller. Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, says stress probably plays a part in heart disease. She advises that if you've never had a panic attack and you think you're having a heart attack, go to A&E.

"Women's heart attack symptoms can be different from the crushing chest pain most men experience," says Mason. More atypical symptoms that affect women include tingling in the right arm, palpitations, pain in the jaw, arm or neck, and heartburn.

source: Readers Digest