hi everyone. I am a 25 year old female with no severe health conditions except CFS/ME I developed after a virus 4 years ago. I have had anxiety and panic disorder most of my life alongside severe GERD.
Yesterday morning I had a terrifying experience which resulted in me calling an ambulance for the first time. Rapid heart rate, palpitations in throat, chest and stomach. Couldn’t breath properly or speak and hit cold sweats.
My EKG at home was normal and had another one when I reached hospital that was also normal. Chest X-ray all good. My blood pressure was normal multiple times throughout the day just my heart rate was slightly high 104. I had blood work done including Troponin. My Troponin was raised at 27. second blood test went up to 30 and third blood test went back down (not sure about the number) the doctor was happy to send me home last night and ruled out a heart attack and said things like AFIB, SVT or heart disease would have shown on the tests.
I have no family history of heart issues. My stress levels are through the roof scared of this happening again and I feel bubble in my chest and like my breathing is off. Is it safe to say I can probably rule this down to being a severe panic attack and anxiety if everything was ok?
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I am sorry to hear about your experience it must have really been quite frightening for you
In a lot of cases they take your bloods once and then wait so many hours and take it again if it is raised usually they would maybe keep you in depending or that has been my experience I have never known them take it 3 times but I suppose some places will do it different to others
If they felt you had not had a heart attack and were safe to come home then obviously they are the experts and saw you and know best
If it happens again however do not hesitate calling an ambulance
Sorry to hear about your recent trip to the hospital. I can definitely sympathise with the elevated troponin levels, especially considering that you’re still young and the anxiety that comes with that.
I had a normal ECG and BP levels after a heart attack in 2022. It was only until the troponin came back elevated over the next couple of hours that they realised I had a heart attack. No blockages were found and I was diagnosed with vasospastic angina. However, troponin is not always elevated during a cardiac event, and other things can contribute to it such as inflammation, infection, a pulmonary embolism (PE), kidney disease and so on.
I’m surprised the A&E doctor did not refer you on for more investigations. Although a chest x-ray, ECG and blood tests can be helpful in the diagnosis of heart disease, these are not the only tests to rule these things out so I’m not sure the doctor looking after you was completely correct in saying if there was an issue with your heart, it would’ve shown up on those tests. However, A&E are really only there to rule out an acute event.
You mention you had palpitations at the time. An echocardiogram would be a good test to have to see how your heart is structurally. An irregular heart rhythm can cause a rise in Troponin.
The anxiety definitely does not help and can affect your heart rhythm. Stress was thought to be a reason why a spasm was triggered in one of my arteries which triggered the heart attack. If you don’t already have input or help for your anxiety, I would suggest speaking to your doctor about possible counselling, in addition to mentioning the above about further testing. If those tests do not show anything significant, they should try to rule out other causes that are non-heart related.
Keep a log of your symptoms and also make a note of when they happen, I.e., what you were doing at the time.
I have found that if you’re young in age with no significant medical history, despite being symptomatic with a potential heart issue, we can often be dismissed as we do not fit the conventional description of a heart patient.
If you would like to talk further, feel free to PM me at anytime.
Troponin is a protein that is released by the heart muscle when it is injured or damaged.
An acute prolonged lack of blood supply to the heart, myocardial ischaemia, usually leads to the heart muscle being damaged. The troponin blood levels rise and then fall, this is usually accompanied by ECG changes and a person usually has symptoms of angina such as chest pain or breathlessness. This is referred to as acute coronary syndrome.
Other causes of a raised troponin also include myocarditis, pericarditis or Takostubo syndrome which is an acute type of heart failure that can be, but not always associated with a stressful event.
Heart rhythm problems can lead to a raise troponin blood levels along with heart failure.
Viral infections including covid can also cause a rise in troponin blood levels.
I had myocarditis many years ago and this caused a rise in my troponin blood levels. I had a perfusion MRI to confirm my diagnosis.
I was then diagnosed following a specialised angiogram with unstable vasospastic angina. I am admitted to hospital several times a year to stabilise my coronary vasospasms. I have my troponin blood levels checked frequently.
The normal level of troponin in a woman, using a high sensitivity blood test is about 14- 16 ng/L (it depends on the testing laboratory).
I suggest you make an appointment with your GP to discuss your admission to A&E and ask if you can be referred to the Rapid Chest Pain Clinic for a further assessment, to determine the reason why your troponin blood levels are raised.
Another helpful resource is the BHF helpline where you can speak to one of the very knowledgeable cardiac nurses.
I agree with BeKind, if you have any further episodes of the symptoms you have described, please don't hesitate in calling 111 or 999 for further advice.
Hi. My levels of Troponin was in the 1000s when I was rushed to AnE with heart attack/failure. It can be an indication of something wrong but it's usually combined with the other tests for accurate diagnosis. I'm sure if something was severely wrong then they wouldn't have released you. It may well have been aniexity attack as this can literally mimic heart attacks even with chest pains and breathing difficulties. I know this. I've had both. If you are still worried then get to the GP to ask for a 48 hr ECG monitor. They are usually good for detecting anything abnormal. For aniexity try some breathing exercises and also regular physical exercise is the best medicine for this.
Over 50% of women have their heart attacks initially misdiagnosed, often being told they have anxiety or are having a panic attack.
Women having a heart attack are less like to receive the usual guideline treatment, be prescribed the recommended secondary prevention medication or be offered cardiac rehab.
Oh wow that's scary stats. Didn't realise how they can get it so wrong. Well just goes to show you that even the professional experts with all the experience and highly advanced equipment still get a huge number of misdiagnosed heart attacks.
aside from what’s been said about your recent hospital experience. You suffer from anxiety and this comes across very clearly, so it seems to me that you should pay attention to the things that you can control yourself, such as controlled breathing, a good diet, plenty of water and good exercise such as walking in nature.
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