How to Tell the Difference Between Fibro Pain and a Heart Attack

by M G Rana, MD.

While fibromyalgia it can’t kill you in a few seconds, a heart attack can. Symptoms that are very similar to a heart attack can be caused by fibromyalgia. So this is the reason why fibromyalgia sufferers need to know when their symptoms are a heart attack or fibro pain. Here’s how to tell the difference. By touching your chest where you feel pain you can tell effortlessly if your chest pain is a heart attack or fibro pain.

Costochondritis causes swelling of tissue around your ribs, so they will be painful to the touch. Heart attack is the pain in the arteries of your heart, it is not a physical pain in your tissue and your chest will not hurt more when you touch it. Symptoms that are similar to costochondritis are also caused by heart attack. A general pain in the chest that comes in waves is the main symptom. In costochondritis this is also a symptom which can make victims think they are having a heart attack. The pain of Costochondritis also lasts far longer than a heart attack.

Costochondritis is a chronic condition that can last for weeks whereas heart attack is an acute condition. But there are also symptoms that a heart attack causes that costochondritis do not. A heart attack causes radiating waves of pain that are localized in your left arm. And in addition, someone having a heart attack will often feel nauseous and break out in a cold sweat. Shortness of breath will also be experienced by someone having a heart attack. Check the symptoms in your head; this is the best way to tell if you’re having a heart attack or fibro pain. If you have at least three of the symptoms of a heart attack, that’s probably what it is.

Pain locations and diagnosis

There are 18 different fibromyalgia pressure points. Doctors put pressure on these points situated throughout your body to see if it causes pain to appropriately diagnose this condition. The pressure points extend from the back of your head to the internal parts of your knees and they are grouped in pairs. These pressure points touch the upper chest bone on the chest. However, you may experience pain on the left or right sides of the chest.

The cartilage that connects your ribs to your breastbone is inflamed in costochondritis. Costochondritis mostly causes pain in the rib cage and upper breast bone. Shoulders and arms can also b painful and tender. If recognized properly these pressure points are very helpful as a diagnostic tool, when evaluated in combination with other functional disorders such as sleep disorders, exhaustion, and cognitive symptoms.

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What should you do if you think you are having a heart attack?

If you begin to feel like you are having these symptoms, immediately call an ambulance. When heart attack is encountered even minutes are very important and make the difference between life and death, so take action rapidly and err on the side of caution. Try to call someone you know to watch you until the ambulance arrive and it is best to have someone nearby to look after you and talk to the paramedics when they arrive because a heart attack can easily make you pass out.

The most important thing to do is to take a possible heart attack seriously, always remember that. If you’re having a heart attack or fibro pain, pay close attention to your symptoms to come to a decision. And treat it like one if you think your fibromyalgia pain may essentially be a heart attack. That can make the difference between life and death.

Why do they get together?

60 and 70 percent of people have fibromyalgia symptoms very similar to costochondritis. The most widespread reason people with fibromyalgia were hospitalized is non- specific chest pain. Another study lists fibromyalgia as a frequent cause of musculoskeletal chest pain. Whether it is true costochondritis or why it occurs with fibromyalgia no one is precisely sure. It may be explained if the hypothesis of inflammation of the fascia is correct.

Also, the fibromyalgia tender points just beneath the collarbone may play a role. Myofascial pain syndrome, which is common in FMS, also could be a cause. Costochondritis is characteristically a small injury that heals within days. If symptoms don’t clear up, they could be a sign that something else, such as fibromyalgia, is going on.

What exactly heart attack is?

When one of the coronary arteries that permit blood to flow from your heart to rest of your body is blocked then heart attack occurs. Blood transports oxygen around your body. And your cells need oxygen to live. You can lose consciousness and your cells can die due to lack of blood flowing from your heart to the brain after a heart attack. It can kill you or cause permanent damage to your heart or brain unless you receive help quickly after a heart attack.

What is fibromyalgia chest pain?

Fibromyalgia causes a kind of widespread pain in some specific areas of the body. But there is also a specific condition associated with fibromyalgia that affects your chest in particular. Localized pain around your ribs can be caused by costochondritis.  Inflammation of the cartilage around your ribcage occurs in costochondritis. This causes a piercing or painful pain in your chest that is easily mixed with the chest pain connected with a heart attack. Heart attack is often lethal and can cause permanent heart damage, costochondritis cannot.

Stroke and Fibromyalgia

There are three main types of stroke, according to the American Heart Association: Ischemic, Hemorrhagic, and TIA. A study released in February 2016, examined data for over one million patients in Japan to examine if there was any increased risk of stroke among those who had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

All comorbidities that can enhance risk of stroke the researchers have adjusted them, and after doing so found that there wasn’t a considerable difference in risk for Hemorrhagic stroke, though, the danger for Ischemic stroke was enhanced in the Fibromyalgia group by 25% during the time-frame.

Fascinatingly, the real risk of stroke decreased with age among the Fibromyalgia patients while the frequency of stroke increased with age in both groups. Certain comorbidities increased the risk of stroke across both groups. In the non-Fibromyalgia group diabetes resulted in the maximum risk of stroke, while in the Fibromyalgia group those with hypertension showed the maximum risk of stroke.

Younger patients, defined as younger than 35 years old, had a 2.26-fold higher relative stroke risk than controls. Regardless of reported comorbidities – including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis – fibromyalgia was an independent factor of stroke. Previous hospitalization for fibromyalgia only slightly increased the risk of stroke.

 

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Tips to Improve hearth health with Fibromyalgia

Many reasons are out there which shows the connection between cardiovascular diseases and fibromyalgia. Patients can gain weight due to lack of exercise or inability to exercise due to pain, there is also raised blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation.

It’s very important for you to try your best to make your heart healthy if you are suffering from fibromyalgia to avoid other dangers to your health. Below are some tips to improve your heart health while suffering from fibromyalgia.

  • >>>Try massaging therapy; it is to slow down your heart rate.
  • >>>In order to avoid heart problems, reduce stress.
  • >>>Do as much exercise as you can, but don’t overdo it. Research shows that aquatic exercises are most effective for fibromyalgia.
  • >>>Go for proper sleep, poor sleep can have a bad impact on your health which can further worsen your heart health.
  • >>>find out about your depression and treat it. Depression is common in fibromyalgia patients, but if you left it untreated, it can have a bad impact on your heart. Studies show that depression increases the risk of heart diseases and heart attack.

References:

  • How to Tell the Difference Between Fibro Pain and a Heart Attack by Wyatt Redd via Fibromyalgia Treating
  • Should you worry about costochondritis chest pain in fibromyalgia by M H Shahid via Fibromyalgia Resources
  • How does fibromyalgia affects speech problems by Naomi Prex Arba via Fibromyalgia Resources
  • IBS and Fibromyalgia by MG Rana,MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
  • The Difference Between Fibromyalgia and Stroke By Heidi Moawad, MD via Very Well Health
  • Gurbuzler L, Inanir A, Yelken K, Koc S, Eyibilen A, Uysal IO. “Voice disorder in patients with Fibromyalgia” Auris Nasus Larynx. December 2013.
  • Katz RS , Heard AR, Mills M, Leavitt F. “The prevalence and clinical impact of reported cognitive difficulties (fibrofog) in patients with rheumatic disease with and without fibromyalgia.” Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. April 2004.
  • Muto L, Mango P, Sauer J, Yuan S, Sousa A, Marques A. “Postural control and balance self-efficacy in women with fibromyalgia. Are there differences?” European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine. April 2014.
  • Watson NF, Buchwald D, Goldberg J, Noonan C, Ellenbogen RG. “Neurologic signs and symptoms in fibromyalgia.” Arthritis Rheumatology. September 2009.
  • Tseng, C. H., Chen, J. H., Wang, Y. C., Lin, M. C., & Kao, C. H. (2016). Increased Risk of Stroke in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Population-BASED Cohort Study. Medicine, 95(8), e2860.

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