MD Consult is the world's largest online medical library
Heart Attack & Angina by Dr. Natoobhai J.Shah & Dr. Sailesh N. Shah
False Notions About Gas Trouble And The Heart
The age-old belief that gas trouble can lead to a heart attack has no real basis. " Gas Trouble " or indigestion is due to a disorder of the intestines. It has no influence whatsoever on the functioning of heart. The so-called " gas" neither causes nor leads to heart disease. For that matter, the heart is too strong an organ to be bullied by mere wind formation or flatulence. In short, " gas trouble " cannot give rise to "heart trouble." A person can suffer from both the problems and the symptoms of one organ can be misinterpreted for those of the other.
The misconception stems from the fact that symptoms such as chest discomfort can arise either from a disease of the heart or from a disorder of the stomach, or at times from the CO-existence of both conditions in the same patient. IN an otherwise healthy, middle-aged adult, wind formation and flatulence are not uncommon. Therefore, any new disease symptoms that develop at this age do not necessarily have a link or relation to the so-called "gas". Each symptom of the patient has to be carefully analysed by his doctor in order to avoid making a mistake in the diagnosis. This must be left to the person who is best qualified to do so. The patient must be an unbiased witness and should relate symptoms properly.
