Beware of Silent Attacks: You can have a heart attack without even knowing it!

Dr Shahid A. Merchant, Interventional Cardiologist, Lilavati Hospital

You’d certainly know if you were having a heart attack, wouldn’t you? After all, you would have heard of the symptoms of a heart attack as crushing chest pain or extreme shortness of breath. Not necessarily, says Dr Shahid A. Merchant, Interventional Cardiologist, Lilavati Hospital.

Farooque Shaikh, 58, was a typical case of a silent heart attack. He had no symptoms whatsoever and there was ‘no need’ for him to see a doctor. Since he was in his late 50s he went for a cardiac check-up. That’s when it was first brought to his notice that he had suffered a heart attack. An angiography shockingly revealed four blockages; two in the main artery and two in minor arteries. He was informed that unless he underwent an angioplasty, he would certainly suffer a major heart attack which could prove fatal.

More than one in five people over the age of 65 who have heart attacks have unrecognized ones, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

WHAT IS A SILENT HEART ATTACK

Silent heart attacks are those attacks that have no warning symptoms or signs, or may appear with ordinary signs such as: nausea, sweating, headache and dizziness.

The cause of silent attack like any other heart attack is almost always the progressive narrowing of the heart’s arteries from accumulations of cholesterol plaque. In most instances, this reduction in blood supply generates a protest from the heart — the crushing pain called angina. But in perhaps many of the heart attack victims there may be no previous symptoms of these gradually developing blockages.

Silent heart attacks are the most dangerous ones because people don’t know what’s happening and hence do not consult a doctor. Despite the fact that it offers little or no warning signs, a silent heart attack is still life-threatening. Because these silent heart attacks go undetected, they can’t be treated.

This increases the chance of underlying heart disease becoming more advanced and can cause another more serious heart attack. But with simple awareness, you can do much to reduce the risk of overlooking a silent attack.

Silent heart attacks are common in people older than 65 years and diabetics and women.

You are most likely to have a silent heart attack if you…

• are diabetic

• suffer from high blood pressure

• have high cholesterol levels

• are obese

• lead a sedentary lifestyle

• Smoke regularly

• have suffered a prior heart attack or stroke

Though exact numbers aren’t known, many younger people also experience unrecognized heart attacks.

“Unless people start screening themselves for a heart attack, there’s no way to predict who’s likely to have them. Sometimes the first and only symptom of a silent heart attack could be sudden death.” saysDr. Shahid A Merchant.

In terms of heart damage, these unrecognized attacks aren’t necessarily less severe than obvious ones. Studies have found that death rates from silent heart attacks were the same as those from non-silent heart attacks.