If you have watched a movie where an actor had a heart attack, you probably saw
them clutch their chest, their eyes roll back in their heads and heard them moan in
serious pain before they collapse onto the floor. Unfortunately, a Hollywood heart
attack can be vastly different from a real one. Many heart attacks occur without the
warning of outward signs. Today let’s discuss how to identify when you are having
a silent heart attack.
The pain you experience from a heart attack may be much less sensational and severe
than many people are led to believe. Without the most obvious sign of sudden chest
pain, it can be confusing to recognize a heart attack is occurring. This is often called
a silent heart attack. Essentially, this means that you don’t even know that you're
having a heart attack.
But how Can a Heart Attack Be Silent?
A silent heart attack is like any other heart attack — and just as damaging. Your
heart needs oxygen-rich blood to perform adequately. If plaque consisting of
cholesterol, fat, and other substances, builds up within the arteries that transport
blood to the heart, this blood flow can be completely cut off.
The longer your heart goes without blood flow, the more damage occurs.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of silent heart attacks and their potential to go
unnoticed for some time, they can cause critical amounts of damage. Without
treatment, they can even cause death.
I’m going to get uncomfortably honest with you for a second.
Heart diseases are one of the leading causes of both male and female deaths in the
whole world. But despite the alarming numbers, only 56 percent of people in the
world realize this.For African American, Asian, & Hispanic people, heart attacks are as risky as
cancers!
But sadly, there is a general lack of awareness in both men and women about heart
conditions.
And this is an even bigger concern for people living in underdeveloped countries,
like South Asian nations.
There is no better time than now to begin prioritizing your heart health. Arm yourself
with realities and knowledge so you can fight the rising chance of cardiovascular
diseases in men and women. The amazing news is that you can prepare by knowing
these five silent signs of a heart attack.
Sometimes the pain from a heart attack is sudden and strong, which makes them easy
to recognize and get help. But, what about when it's not? Most heart attacks include
only gentle pain or discomfort in the center of your chest. You'll also feel pressure,
squeezing, or fullness. These side effects usually start gradually, and they may go
away and come back. This can be complicated because these indications may be
related to something far less serious, such as heartburn. You know your body best,
though. So, if you feel like something's not right, you need to be evaluated by a
physician or even head to the emergency room.
A heart attack doesn't just influence your heart — you can feel the effects throughout
your entire body. This results in recognizing a heart attack confusing. You may
encounter pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, and stomach.
These symptoms vary from person to person. For example, a few people reported
their back pain from a heart attack as feeling like a rope tied around them. You may
also feel overwhelming pressure on your back. If you think you're encountering any
of these less obvious signs of a heart attack, do not ignore them.
Although migraines and dizziness aren't sure-fire warning signs of silent heart attack,
you should still be on alert if it happens in conjunction with other symptoms. You
might notice extreme pain in the head or face emanating below toward the torso. So
extreme stinging headaches can be one of the possible silent signs of a heart attack.
A study shows a 70-year-old lady with chronic headache disease. However, one
evening, her headache was unusually intense and lasted longer than usual. She
depicted the pain as dull, squeezing, and radiating in several head regions. When no
medications eased her pain, a cardiologist was called for a consultation. They then
found a constriction in one of the heart's arteries.
In short, headaches are one of the silent signs of heart attacks in women that
frequently get overlooked.
Additional symptoms, including lightheadedness, dizziness, anxiety, and fainting,
may appear if the condition gets worse.
If any of these symptoms appear, the best solution is to visit a hospital as soon as
possible!
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Here are other warning signs of silent heart attack — nausea and excessive cold
sweating.
Sweating is the body’s response to regulate the internal temperature and may
frequently occur if you live in a hot climate region or have a fever. Another normal
activity to trigger the body’s sweat glands would be an in-your-face exercise routine.
But if you abruptly break into cold sweats and feel clammy for no reason, it may be
a cause of concern. This usually means an underlying cardiovascular issue. Waking
up in a cold sweat, feeling unwell, and spewing may be indications of the flu, but
they can also be signs of a silent heart attack. You may know what the flu feels like
because you've had it before, but when your instinct tells you that these flu-like
symptoms are something more serious, listen. Do not chalk these indications up tothe flu, stress, or simply feeling under the weather — they may be much more serious
than that.
People over 40 or women who are premenopausal also frequently experience night
sweats. If other symptoms of heart blockage accompany sweating, it may be one of
those signs of a silent heart attack that needs medical attention.
Feeling short of breath for no clear reason is a warning sign of a silent heart attack.
Shortness of breath is common if you've just run up a few stairs or wrapped up
exercising. Chronic obstructive pneumonic illness patients with lung diseases also
experience breathing problems. But if you notice sudden difficulty in breathing
without performing any extraneous activity, at that point, it may be a symptom of
heart blockage.
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, obese women with
cardiovascular issues are more likely to experience shortness of breath than others.
Another research also linked frequent breathing problems to women with heart
diseases.
This shows that difficulty breathing is a serious warning sign of heart attack in males
and females, especially for those over forty years of age.
You may find yourself wondering, “How do I know if my shortness of breath is a
sign of a heart attack?”
Well, look out for accompanying signs such as chest pain or tiredness. If you notice
other symptoms of heart blockage as well, it's most likely a cardiovascular issue and
needs your attention. Being aware of the signs of a silent heart attack is critical, but
it is not enough if you ignore them. The chances of surviving a heart attack are higher
the sooner you get emergency treatment.
Another word for fainting is syncope. Syncope occurs when people go unconscious
and go limp, then quickly recover. Most people have syncope just once in a while,
if at all, and it is not an indication of a serious illness. However, syncope can be thefirst and only warning sign before an episode of sudden cardiac death. Syncope can
also lead to serious injury. Take this seriously if syncope happens more often.
Pre-syncope is the sensation that you are about to pass out. Pre-syncope patients, for
example, may feel lightheaded (dizzy) or nauseated, have a visual "grey out" or
problems in hearing, experience palpitations, or feel weak or suddenly hot. When
discussing syncope with your doctor, make a note of any instances of pre-syncope.
Syncope also happens when there is insufficient blood flow to the brain.
If you often faint and are not due to dehydration or a rapid postural change, you
should be tested for a serious heart or vascular problem. Cardiac syncope commonly
occurs unexpectedly, without dizziness or other pre-syncope signs.
Common causes of cardiac syncope are;
Arrhythmia and abnormal cardiac rhythm: The heart functions inefficiently
during bouts of heart arrhythmia, and not enough oxygenated blood may flow to the
brain. A variety of cardiac arrhythmias can cause syncope. These also include
bradyarrhythmias (the heart beats too slowly) and tachyarrhythmias (the heart beats
too fast).
The second cause of cardiac syncope is Aortic dissection. A tear in the large artery
carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This is an infrequent but life-
risking situation.
Aortic valve stenosis is a narrowing of the valve between the aorta and heart, is the
final cause of cardiac syncope. Aortic valve stenosis can be congenital (present from
birth) or develop later in life.
Syncope therapy will vary depending on the underlying condition but may include:
Catheter ablation: A procedure to cauterize the specific heart cells that cause
abnormal heart rhythms.
Pacemakers: A device placed under the skin just below the collarbone to give
regular electrical pulses to the heart via tiny, extremely durable wires; used to treat
bradycardia, heart block, and some kinds of heart failure.
ICDs are tiny implanted devices that give an electrical pulse to the heart to reset a
dangerously erratic heartbeat; these are frequently used to treat ventricular
tachycardia or silent heart failure.
One of the most serious signs of a silent heart attack is syncope or fainting out. Heart
attack victims who experience syncope are up to 11 times more likely to die in the
hospital or on the way because of delays in receiving proper treatment.
One way to prevent a heart attack is to regularly get your heart screened and lower
your risk by maintaining your cholesterol and blood pressure at levels. A healthy
diet and lifestyle are another great way to keep your heart healthy.
Did you find this information useful? I hope you learned the many warning
signs of silent heart attacks that are often missed or overlooked.
Do you have any daily health practices to reduce the chance of heart attacks in
your body? Please share with us in the comments below.
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