BENGALURU: With growing cases of cardiac arrest among the youth, hospitals in Bengaluru and other places in Karnataka are witnessing a rise in cases of “cardiac phobia,” where individuals seek medical or psychiatric help for the fear that they might suffer a heart attack.
Doctors said that many such individuals have no underlying heart issues, but are increasingly anxious, assuming that what is happening to others could happen to them.
Experts attributed this to growing health anxiety among people, triggered by frequent reports of sudden deaths due to cardiac arrest.
Dr Sanjay Bhat, senior consultant, interventional cardiology, Aster CMI Hospital, told the TNIE that there is a growing number of individuals in their late 20s and 40s arriving with symptoms like chest pain, palpitations or breathlessness, convinced that they are suffering a heart attack. Yet, after thorough cardiac evaluations, their hearts are found to be normal.
Cardiac phobia not known to many: Docs
This is a lesser-known condition called “cardiac phobia”, which is marked by an intense fear of heart disease despite no clinical evidence, Dr Bhat said. He said that while the heart may be structurally and functionally healthy, the fear needs to be addressed with both medical reassurance and psychological support, like counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy.
Doctors said the fear often comes from chronic stress, lifestyle factors such as inadequate sleep and physical inactivity and the overwhelming influence of social media content highlighting alarming concerns among young individuals. Even mild symptoms trigger panic with some patients going from hospital to hospital, repeating ECGs, scans in search of validation, they said.
Dr Anupama V Hegde, senior consultant, department of cardiology, Ramaiah Institute of Cardiac Sciences, said anxiety is also often triggered by medical episodes that closely resemble cardiac arrest such as fainting, seizures, drug overdoses -- particularly involving opioids, and certain irregular heart rhythms.
“Understanding the difference is crucial to ensure appropriate medical responses, as such events can mimic responses similar to a cardiac arrest like loss of consciousness and unresponsiveness which can cause panic,” she said.