Author:- Mr. Ritesh Sharma
A silent heart attack is one of the most horrifying things a human can experience. Yet, it is something, you wouldn’t even know about until a healthcare professional detects your heart abnormalities and lets you know about it. There are no prevalent signs and symptoms in a silent heart attack. But is it as hazardous and life-threatening as a normal heart attack? Yes, it is. So, what is actually the conundrum of a silent heart attack? Why is it so hard to detect? And most importantly how do we get it treated?
To answer all these relevant queries regarding the silent heart attack, we have prepared this blog. This blog will delve deep into the meaning of a silent heart attack, its symptoms, tests to identify it, and more. So, uncover the stealthy threat and implications of a silent heart attack right here.
What is a Silent Heart Attack?
In a nutshell, a silent heart attack is one that has little to no symptoms. In other words, it is a type of heart attack that doesn’t have symptoms of a conventional heart attack. Hence, that makes it difficult to identify and cure. However, with correct understanding and swift action, one can detect it timely. As per the reports published in various sources, a silent heart attack is more common in females than males. Therefore, all females need to be extra cautious about it. Moreover, in a startling figure, we have found out that nearly 50% to 80% of all heart attacks are silent.
The Effect of a Silent Heart Attack on Your Body
A silent heart attack affects your body as much as a normal heart attack (in medical terms a myocardial infarction). It stops the supply of oxygenated blood to your heart through the coronary arteries and is life-threatening in every possible way. Apart from being as dangerous as a normal heart attack, silent heart attacks are also associated with the risk of heart failure.
Symptoms and Causes of a Silent Heart Attack
A silent heart attack has all those symptoms that are not normally associated with normal heart attacks. This heart attack mostly occurs in women and whatever symptoms it has are completely stark to the normal heart attack. Let’s discuss all these symptoms below:
- Flu: The flu is a very common symptom of a silent heart attack. Once again, this is a symptom you would never associate with a typical heart attack.
- Sore Muscle in your Chest: In a silent heart attack, you feel like there is a sore muscle in your chest. While chest pain or discomfort is a common symptom of a typical heart attack, a sore muscle in the chest is rarely linked with it.
- Ache in your Jaw, Arms, or Upper Back: When you encounter a silent heart attack, you might experience an ache in your jaw, arms, or upper back. This symptom is once again contradictory to a typical heart attack.
- You feel inexplicably tired: An impending silent heart attack brings unexplained fatigue, and it is hard to disassociate this fatigue from normal fatigue.
- Indigestion: Indigestion is something rarely linked to a heart attack. However, in the case of a silent heart attack, this is a very plausible symptom.
Risk Factors of a Silent Heart Attack
The following are the common risk factors of a silent heart attack:
- Overweight Individuals: People who are overweight are more likely to suffer a silent heart attack than anyone else.
- Lack of Exercise: If you don’t exercise at all then you might inevitably experience a silent heart attack.
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): In extreme cases of high blood pressure, you can experience a silent heart attack.
- High Cholesterol: Akin to high blood pressure, having exceedingly high cholesterol levels can lead to silent heart attacks.
- High Blood Sugar: While it is not common for people with high blood sugar levels to experience silent heart attacks, in some rare cases it occurs without any prior warning signs.
- Excessive Stress: Having excessive stress levels puts a heavy strain on your heart and inevitably leads to silent heart attacks.
- Consuming Tobacco in Excess: If you consume tobacco in excess then you are prone to silent heart attacks.
How to diagnose Silent Heart Attacks?
Silent heart attacks are characterized by a fast or uneven pulse, i.e. heart palpitations or bradycardia. Furthermore, in silent heart attacks, there are some unusual sounds in your lungs. However, in most cases, these symptoms are not prevalent and easily recognizable. Therefore, to detect silent heart attacks, you must get the following tests done:
- Physical Exam: A physical examination might be able to detect silent heart attacks after it has occurred.
- Electrocardiogram: An electrocardiogram can detect silent heart attacks through T-wave abnormalities, i.e. ST-segment elevation or ST-segment depression.
- Blood Tests: There are certain blood tests that can detect silent heart attacks through increased protein levels in the blood that only occur during a heart attack.
- Coronary Angiography: Coronary Angiography is another test that is performed to detect silent heart attacks after a few days of the heart attack.
- A CT scan: A CT scan uses X-ray technology to create vivid images of the heart and surrounding structures, helping in the identification of any abnormalities or damage.
- MRI: This advanced imaging technique uses powerful magnets and radio waves to generate vivid images of the heart, offering useful insights into its structure and function. MRI scans can reveal lowkey signs of silent heart attacks by detecting scar tissue or areas of reduced blood flow.
- Exercise Stress Test: By assessing changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and electrical activity, this test can uncover evidence of previous silent heart attacks, particularly when accompanied by symptoms such as chest discomfort or shortness of breath.
- Nuclear Stress Test: During the test, images are taken at rest and following exercise or medication-induced stress, enabling the detection of areas with reduced blood flow indicative of silent heart attacks.
- Echocardiogram: Using sound waves to create detailed images of the heart’s structure and function, an echocardiogram can reveal abnormalities such as reduced heart muscle function or areas of scar tissue, both common indicators of silent heart attacks.
In conclusion, silent heart attacks are dangerous medical conditions that occur without any prior warning signs or symptoms. However, you can mitigate their risks by adopting a healthy lifestyle laced with a nutritious diet, physical activity, and stress management. Furthermore, you can also check for an abnormal ECG using a portable ECG device at home or on the go at your convenience to detect risks associated with silent heart attacks.