- News
- etimes
- wellness
- Is it anxiety or something else? 7 medical conditions that can mimic anxiety symptoms
Trending
Best Time to Walk
Confucius Quote
Pythagoras Quote
Gardening Tips
Is it anxiety or something else? 7 medical conditions that can mimic anxiety symptoms
TOI Lifestyle Desk / ETimes.in / Updated: Jul 28, 2026, 7:00 IST
AAText Size
- Small
- Medium
- Large
1/11
7 medical conditions that can mimic anxiety symptoms
Everyone gets anxious now and then. Maybe your heart races before a big meeting, or you feel jittery waiting for some news — that’s normal. But what if you start shaking, feeling short of breath, or your heart pounds for no clear reason? Is it just anxiety, or could something else be at play?
Doctors say anxiety disorders are pretty common, but they’re not the only cause for symptoms like a racing heart, chest tightness, light-headedness, or sweats. Turns out, plenty of physical illnesses can make you feel exactly the same way, which means a true diagnosis takes some digging. Sometimes, people are treated for anxiety when their thyroid, heart, blood sugar, or nervous system is really to blame. You can also have anxiety and another medical problem at once, which is why doctors say you should never shrug off ongoing or unexplained symptoms as “just anxiety.” Getting to the real reason can make all the difference, and it might even be lifesaving.
2/11
What does anxiety feel like physically?
Anxiety, whether it’s a disorder or a typical stress response, triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response. Here’s what that means: Your brain senses something’s wrong (even if it isn’t), and in seconds your adrenal glands flood your body with adrenaline and cortisol. Your heart races, you might feel shaky or queasy, your chest tightens. It’s your body revving up to face a threat, even when there isn’t one
“These changes make sense if you’re about to run or defend yourself,” says Dr. Paul Nestadt, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins, per a report by US News & World Report, “but in anxiety, this reaction gets switched on for the wrong reasons.”
Other experts, like Dr. Franklin Schneier at Columbia, note that even though it starts in the brain, anxiety stirs up all kinds of real, physical changes in your body
Several other medical problems can act just like anxiety. In fact, sometimes it takes a specialist to tell them apart. Here are some common ones medical experts point out:
3/11
Overactive thyroid (Hyperthyroidism)
Your thyroid controls your metabolism, and when it goes into overdrive, your whole body speeds up. Besides anxiety, you might get shaky, sweaty, lose weight, feel constantly hot, or notice your hair thinning. Sometimes your neck even swells. Easy blood tests check your thyroid levels
4/11
Irregular heartbeat (Arrhythmia)
Heart rhythm problems like atrial fibrillation or supraventricular tachycardia can make your heart pound, skip, or flutter out of nowhere. That pounding in your chest, shortness of breath, and dizziness can feel just like a panic attack. Doctors use quick, painless tests like an ECG to spot them. Any sudden chest pain, fainting, or pain down your arm needs urgent care, because a heart issue is always worth ruling out
5/11
Low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia)
When your blood sugar drops, your body releases adrenaline to fix it, which causes shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, and sometimes confusion or that “butterflies in the stomach” feeling. These symptoms often clear up quickly with food. If you have diabetes, prediabetes, or tend to skip meals, this might be familiar
6/11
Breathing problems
Not being able to catch your breath can absolutely put you in panic mode. Shortness of breath is a key sign of both lung problems and anxiety, and it can get confusing, especially if you already deal with anxiety. Issues like asthma, a blood clot in your lungs (pulmonary embolism), pneumonia, or even vocal cord problems can mimic panic attacks. Chronic lung conditions like COPD make breathing hard every day. And here’s a twist: Lung trouble can trigger anxiety, and anxiety can worsen lung symptoms.
7/11
Gut problems
The connection between your brain and gut is strong: when one’s upset, the other reacts. Anxiety might trigger nausea or stomach pain, but issues like irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease can also drive up anxious feelings, thanks to this “gut-brain axis.”
8/11
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
Not as well known, but POTS is getting more attention lately. It throws your nervous system off, so standing up suddenly causes a huge jump in heart rate. Dizziness, palpitations, brain fog, and fatigue follow — all the symptoms that get mistaken for panic attacks. The big tip-off: Symptoms get better when you lie down
9/11
Adrenal gland issues
Tumors on the adrenal gland can dump extra stress hormones into your blood, setting off anxiety-like symptoms and panic attacks that don’t respond to typical anxiety treatments. Other adrenal problems, like Addison’s disease, cause hormone shortages, leading to fatigue, dizziness, low blood pressure, nausea, and anxious feelings. Because these symptoms come on slowly and are easy to miss, diagnosis sometimes happens only when things get serious
10/11
Some more rare conditions
Don’t forget some rare conditions, too. Think celiac disease, Graves’ disease, some autoimmune disorders, and iron-deficiency anemia. They often show up with symptoms that mimic anxiety, like palpitations, dizziness, or fatigue. Low iron, for instance, means less oxygen gets delivered around your body, leaving you weak, breathless, and light-headed. Simple blood tests spot this, and it’s easy to treat once found
11/11
The bottom line
Just because something “feels like anxiety” doesn’t mean it’s all in your head or that real anxiety isn’t a serious condition. The challenge is that physical problems and mental health issues overlap a lot, and you can have both at the same time. If your symptoms start out of the blue in adulthood, always hit when you’re physically active, involve fainting, big weight changes, fevers, or new neurological symptoms like trouble walking or speaking, don’t assume it’s only anxiety. Consult a healthcare provider without any delay. And if anxiety treatment isn’t working, it’s worth asking your doctor to look for another cause.
Follow Us On Social Media
