A study shows more than 3000 patients who came to the emergency room with chest pain is not necessarily due to a heart attack. However, if chest pain is not too severe, nor does it mean it's not a heart attack.
"Chest pain as bad as anything should be a concern. Pain is a red flag to other serious health problems as well, such as stomach ulcers or a tear in the aorta, the main artery of the heart, like that killed actor John Ritter in 2003," said Dr. Anna Marie Chang, a author of the study and an emergency physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as quoted by Reuters.
Dr. James Feldman, an emergency physician at Boston Medical Center said the classic symptoms of heart attacks do include chest pain or pressure, but other advantages shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and fainting. In addition, the pain of a heart attack do not always settle in the chest area.
"The cause of chest pain may have a heart attack, but could not. But it certainly could be something serious," said Feldman.
According to Dr. Rajiv Gulati, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, pain can occur in the arms, chest, back, jaw or stomach and can be explained differently by different people.
"If you just wait until your chest pain is gone, it means you are only delaying treatment, and it would be a problem. Any complaints of chest pain is serious and means you need to seek medical care immediately." Gulati said.