Experiencing Sudden Chest Pain? It Could Be More Than Gas- Expert Shares Signs Of A Heart Attack

Whenever there is chest pain or upper abdominal pain, people often neglect it as just gastritis, but that might not be the right approach because it could potentially be a heart attack. It’s true that 9 out of 10 times, it is likely to be gastritis, but that one out of 10 could be related to a heart condition. Such a patient, if neglected, may not have enough time to reach the hospital for immediate interventions. 

Dr Ranjan Shetty, HOD & Consultant – Interventional Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road says, “Even today, one-third of heart attack cases don’t make it to the hospital on time. Thus, it is very crucial to consider any chest pain or upper abdominal pain as potentially heart-related. Tests like an ECG can indicate a heart attack almost all the time because data suggests that in only 4% of cases, an ECG test may miss a heart attack diagnosis.”

Why you Must not Ignore Chest Pains?

“Chest pain at any age is dangerous. As age increases, the risk of heart attacks increases. However, there’s no particular age group as nowadays, we have seen people even as young as 21 have a heart attack and other heart conditions. Thus, the word of caution here is not about treating for a heart attack; it’s about suspecting a heart attack,” adds Dr Ranjan.

How to Identify If You Are Having A Heart Attack?

Dr Ranjan highlights, “Any symptom that doesn’t seem normal or makes you feel uncomfortable should be evaluated by a medical professional. If there is any sweating or if the pain is diffused from the upper abdominal chest to the neck or arms, or if you have risk factors like diabetes, previous heart disease, family history, or history of smoking in the past or present, it becomes important to not neglect chest pain because it could be a serious heart issue.”

Visit the nearest hospital and consult a physician because neglecting pain that turns out to be cardiac could have catastrophic consequences.