Greetings!

We understand your worries especially with the development of symptoms such as chest pain in combination with feeling of suffocating. This may be a panic attack !

While according to DSM-5, a panic attack is characterized by four or more of the following symptoms

• Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
• A feeling of choking
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
• Feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Fear of dying
• Numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesias)
• Chills or hot flushes

However to diagnose panic attack, it needs evaluation from psychiatry. So, you are advice to see one if you feels like having panic attack.

For your information, central chest pain is a condition that has multifactorial causes such as:

• Gastritis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Heart attack
• Pneumonia
• Pleuritis - inflammation of the lung lining

We understand that you are worried because your family history have heart disease.

To further explore into your condition accurately, further information via discussion is required before reaching a conclusion. Therefore, it is suggested that you refer this to a medical doctor. Please click on this link (DoctorOnCall) to speak with our doctors on the line for personalised online consultation. Thank you.

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