Silent Heart Attack

While majority of people who suffered from heart attack have experienced sharp chest pains and chest discomfort, accompanied with difficult or labored breathing, about 20 to 30 percent may not suffer from any symptom at all. This is known as atypical or silent heart attack. Silent heart attack can happen to anyone, although it is more common in women and in people with diabetes mellitus.

People who had silent heart attack may not know that they had one, until their condition is accidentally or incidentally discovered by their doctor after routine electrocardiogram (an EKG or a test to record the electrical current they runs through the heart muscle) or heart ultrasound known as echocardiogram, during medical check-up and examination, weeks or months after the silent heart attack.

Unusual symptoms that point to silent heart attack

Some unusual and non-classic symptoms that point to a possible silent heart attack are: unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath and/or discomfort in the throat, neck, jaw or a single extremity. Other patients will experience what it feels like heartburn or stomach pain or indigestion, and many will simply take antacid instead of recognizing that the pain could be coming from the heart. These less common symptoms can pass without being noticed as a heart attack.

What happens after a silent heart attack?

Heart attacks are life threatening and require immediate medical treatment and attention. When a silent heart attack goes undetected and untreated, the lack of blood flow to a section of the heart can cause the heart tissue to die and scar. Silent heart attack can result to heart rhythm disorders and structural heart complications.

What can you do about it?

“Don’t be your own physician.” Silent heart attack is very hard to detect. Many silent heart attack sufferers could not accept the reality that they are having one. They refuse to seek medical attention and they try to self-medicate. Always remember that there is no shame in seeking medical attention from what you believe to be a heart attack. Don’t be embarrassed if it’s a false alarm. Don’t let pride get in the way of saving your life. Being ashamed of going to the emergency room could cost you your life.

The role of aspirin

Repeatedly mentioned in studies is the role of aspirin in the prevention of heart damage that can occur from a silent heart attack. If you feel that you have had a silent heart attack, you may want to take aspirin to help dissolve clots and restore blood flow.