| By :
Paris Lee
It is extremely hard to distinguish the difference between panic attack and heart attack because of the substantial similarities present. Individuals with panic attack or heart attack would go through chest tightness, palpitations, lethargy as well as other similar signs and symptoms. The major difference between the two conditions is the fact that panic attacks are due to mental and psychological factors. Heart attack is a significant health issue involving vital organs. The doctor and nurse should be able to establish the difference as a way to avoid further complication. If the person is having a heart attack but has been misdiagnosed, severe outcomes could be encountered. Coma, stroke, myocardial infarction and even fatality would occur. That is why the doctors and nurses in the emergency room should utilize every tool, technique and device to accurately and correctly diagnose the condition. If a person is having a panic attack or heart attack, specific examinations should be done. Heart attack has more substantial influences on the body including heart damage, difficulty in breathing and abnormal cardiac rhythm. Once the patient has been rushed to the hospital, comprehensive blood work should be done. In case the blood shows elevation in cardiac enzymes and proteins, then heart attack is the disorder experienced by the person. Panic disorders only imitate the signs and symptoms presented by the heart attack. But swift action should be exercised in order to prevent the chest tightness, hypertension as well as other symptoms from worsening. A number of methods and medications can be utilized as a way to calm and relax the patient. Careful testing should first be done in order to detect the underlying cause whether it is panic attack or heart attack. The person experiencing chest tightness as a result of panic attack needs to be given with relaxants and sedatives. This is essential as a way to lower the blood pressure and heart rate. When people have anxiety, heart activity is excessively enhanced. This can be assigned to the release of different emergency hormones as a consequence of fear and panic experienced by the person. Myocardial and heart cell activity can be reduced with the use of sedatives. The activity in part of the brain which triggers panic can also be reduced. Some of the most commonly used and effective drugs offered in the market are oxazepam, diazepam and clonazepam. Another way to reduce the chest tightness experienced by people is the consumption of heart medications. Heart activity can be directly reduced by using beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics. Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers block the various receptors in the heart which is used to enhance activity. This can be explained well by making use of day-to-day examples. The blockers could serve as an obstruction in the electric plug avoiding appliances from working. This means, the signal required to enhance heart activity is arrested and prevented from getting to the heart. Diuretics are used to decrease the blood volume if ever the chest tightness is very intense. This is very effective particularly if the blood pressure has been greatly elevated. Doctors should know whether the patient has panic attack or heart attack so that the problem can be dealt with swiftly and quickly.
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