Nearly two and a half million Americans experience panic episodes and the signs often mimic symptoms of a heart attack. According to new studies patients with panic disorders have nearly double the risk for heart disease.

Brian Hummel, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, says, "Persons who have panic attacks are more prone to have high blood pressure, and that we know is a risk factor for developing coronary disease."

Although there is no single cause for panic disorders, they are usually seen by those with high fear or stress levels. One student experienced this first hand during finals week. Cord Connell, a student, says "at first I just kind of noticed my heart was beating faster without me even feeling my heart and then I just kind of got a little sweating, my temples got sweaty and then it just rushed and hit me."

As young as Cord is, it would be unusual for him to experience heart problems. But we wanted to be sure what those symptoms were, so we took it to the professionals. "A panic attack is kind of a lump all if you will, it can represent a variety of symptoms and a variety of causes, there is no true association with a person who has a panic attack and has a heart attack, that's not been shown," explains Dr. Hummel.

Cardiologists often monitor panic disorders in order to cut the risk of coronary heart disease. Doctors say that the factors contributing to heart attack or heart disease are more important to consider; such as family history and smoking.