People often don’t know they’ve had a silent heart attack until weeks or months later when a healthcare provider finds heart damage. Missing signs or symptoms normally unrelated to a heart attack can make it tricky to identify a silent heart attack. But it still causes damage like any other heart attack.
What is a silent heart attack?
A heart attack is called “silent” when it has no symptoms, mild symptoms or symptoms people don’t connect to a heart attack. Also known as a myocardial infarction, a heart attack means your heart isn’t getting oxygen. This injures your heart. Usually, a blood clot causes a heart attack by keeping blood from flowing through one of your coronary arteries. Less often, a coronary artery spasm can cut off your blood flow.
Heart attacks can happen when you’re asleep or awake. They can happen when:
– You just went through something very physically or emotionally stressful.
– You quickly become more physically active.
– You’re physically active outside in the cold.
Silent heart attacks may be more common in women. Some estimate that nearly 50% to 80% of all heart attacks are silent.
How does a silent heart attack affect your body?
A silent heart attack can injure your heart just like a more obvious heart attack that doesn’t allow oxygen to get to part of your heart. But if you don’t know you’re having a heart attack, you may not get the medical help you need to limit the damage. A silent heart attack has been linked to a higher risk of heart failure.
What are the symptoms of a silent heart attack?
1. Chest pain and discomfort
You could be experiencing chest pain for a variety of reasons. There is a chance that chest discomfort and pain could be an indicator of an impending heart attack. Anxiety in the center or left side of the chest, lasting more than a few minutes, or coming and going is characteristic of most heart attacks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain are some of the words used by the health agency to describe the sensation.
2. Gastrointestinal issues including nausea and heartburn
Experts believe gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain, indigestion, heartburn and nausea can be an early sign of a heart attack. The stomach pain can arise in the middle of the upper abdomen and usually feels heavy rather than sharp or stabbing. Such pain could linger on for more than a few minutes.
3. Dizziness or lightheadedness
Overexposure to heat, stress, and other factors can cause dizziness or lightheadedness. Dizziness, especially in women, can be an early warning sign of a heart attack. A person may experience cold sweats, chest tightness, or shortness of breath, as well as fainting or losing consciousness, which necessitates immediate medical attention.
4. Pain that spreads to other parts of the body including arm and jaw
Warning signs of a heart attack are not just limited to certain parts of the body rather can spread and radiate throughout the body.
A classic heart attack sign is pain that spreads to the arm, especially in the left side of the body. It usually starts from the chest and moves outward towards the arm and the jaw. Other pain areas include neck, back and the stomach.
If you have these symptoms, what you should do immediately
In light of any one or more symptoms of heart attack, contact your nearest hospital asking for immediate medical attention.
In case a person suffers from a heart attack and finds it difficult to breathe, begin a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to maintain or restore the blood flow in the body. According to the experts at MayoClinic, CPR involves chest compressions (100 – 120 per minute).
References: my.clevelandclinic.org, opera.news, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
