Heart Attack or Brain Stroke

Heart Attack vs Brain Stroke

Technically, heart attack or brain stroke occurs when there is interrupted or reduced blood supply to the muscles or cells of the heart or brain. An acute heart attack occurs when a vessel supplying the heart muscle (coronary artery) is 100% blocked while brain stroke occurs when the vessel supplying the brain cells is blocked.

Medically diagnosing a heart attack

Any person who is having new-onset chest discomfort or breathing difficulty for more than 15-20 minutes should be evaluated for a heart attack. It is a must to check his Blood pressure, Pulse, and other vital parameters. The most important test to take immediate action is ECG. If ECG is not clear, urgent 2 D Echo and some blood tests (cardiac enzymes) can help in making a diagnosis. Once a heart attack is diagnosed, the best option is to open the blocked artery immediately by angioplasty. If angioplasty is not available, then clot-dissolving medicines called thrombolytic therapy should be administered. The most important point is that treatment should be done immediately to prevent heart muscle damage. There is a well-known proverb for this, “Time is Muscle”, which means more the time in opening the blocked vessel, more is the more damage to the muscle. Initially, there are higher chances of a reversal of heart damage which gets permanent as time flies.

Medically diagnosing a Stroke

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced and thus preventing brain cells to get enough oxygen and nutrition. A stroke also called a Cerebrovascular accident in medical terms is an emergency that needs immediate attention as if not treated promptly can cause lasting damage to brain tissue, long-term disability, or even death. A strong suspicion based on history and examination further necessitates CT or MRI to confirm the area involved due to brain stroke. Stroke is of 2 types, one is bleeding into the brain (hemorrhagic stroke), and another is ischemic stroke which occurs because of a clot occluding a particular brain artery. These clots usually arise either from the heart or neck vessels. Nowadays, the best treatment for ischemic stroke is to give clot-dissolving medicine (Thrombolysis) immediately under the supervision of a stroke unit.

Difference between a heart attack and Brain stroke.

A patient with a Heart attack usually presents with symptoms of chest discomfort or breathing difficulty sometimes. Apart from these usual symptoms sometimes, a patient can also present with Jaw pain or chest pain radiating to one or both arms, associated with excessive sweating or nausea, or vomiting.

While a patient with brain stroke usually presents with mild weakness to paralysis or numbness on one side of the face or body. Other signs include a sudden and severe headache, sudden weakness, trouble seeing, and trouble speaking or understanding speech.

Yes, sometimes there may be some overlapping of the symptoms which usually include pain or discomfort in the arms, Dizziness, and nausea but there are a lot of differences as well which can help in differentiating between the two.

Final Verdict

DO NOT Delay, save time, save damage. Consult your healthcare provider in case you have any of these symptoms.