How to Distinguish Between Heartburn and Heart Attack

Feasting on a high-fat, carbohydrate-filled meal followed by a generous slice of pumpkin pie on a holiday often triggers a burning sensation in the chest. This temporary feeling is mostly dismissed as heartburn, however, according to scientists, it might be a heart attack.

Researchers suggest that the pain in the chest might not be heartburn but can be a heart attack. The symptoms are similar, but the health consequences differ dramatically.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

"We see people in the Emergency Room who think they are only having severe heartburn or experiencing the flu when they are actually having a heart attack," said Nick Zenarosa, M.D., emergency medicine physician on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Centre at Dallas.

In order to detect whether it's a heart attack Dr. Zenarosa suggests to keep in mind the certain symptoms.

A heart attack often indicates breaking into a cold sweat, pain moving from the chest into the jaw, shoulder or arms followed by an increase in pain when you exert yourself

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles

The symptoms are often accompanied by rapid onset of fatigue, shortness of breath, slow or no response of symptoms to antacids and nausea and possible vomiting. The sufferer also turns pale.

The signs of a heart attack can be subtle, particularly in women.

Chest pain – Causes – Risk Factors – Symptoms – Diagnosis – Treatment
Ask any one who has experienced intense chest pain and they will vouch for the fact that it was the most frightening experience of their life!

Source-ANI
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