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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : September 28, 2015 7:19 PM IST
In this day and age of constant strain and pressure to deliver on deadlines and survive amidst the increasing competition; one unconsciously picks up an unhealthy lifestyle. The common man is much more well acquainted and alert about the symptoms of conventional heart attacks that include chest discomfort or pain, cold sweat and extreme weakness. However, there exists an increasing segment of the population women, diabetics and the always stressed working class that often becomes victims of silent heart attacks.
A silent heart attack is one in which the patient faces no or a typical symptoms. Some people have later recalled their silent heart attack as a mistaken case of indigestion, nausea, muscle pain or a bad case of the flu. The reason for this is that the vagueness of the symptoms and the new trend of early incidence of the disease. Silent heart attacks are also common in the elderly because of their inability to clearly identify heart attack symptoms.With World Heart Day being just around the corner, there is an exigent need to create the required awareness for this problem. (Read: 8 warning signs of a heart attack you should know about)
The key to recovering from a heart attack is the speed in which the patient has received their treatment. In the case of a silent heart attack, because the patient is not aware of the infarction, valuable time is wasted, and the heart becomes permanently damaged.
Commenting on this,Dr. Manoj Kumar, Associate Director & Head - Cardiac Cath Lab, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Patparganjsaid, 'Finding out that your heart is seriously damaged because you did not act right after a silent attack can be devastating. Specially when you considered yourself a rather healthy individual. The only area in which you were unconsciously going wrong was the overall unhealthy high-stress lifestyle that you were living. People in the age group of 30-40 and women are increasingly become victims of such illness. One of the primary reasons for this is that they are more often than not ignorant of the fact that they can suffer from a heart attack. Until a decade ago heart disease in women and in people under the age of 50-55 was uncommon and that perception still exists. However, lifestyle irregularities seem to be changing this situation making women and young adults more at risk of more fatal and sudden heart diseases. In fact 25% of all heart attacks are silent in nature. Diabetics are also at high risk of suffering from silent heart attacks There is an urgent need to raise awareness about necessary lifestyle modifications to reverse this trend.' (Read: 10 things that happen during an attack you should know.)
Adding to these pointsDr. Santosh Kumar Agarwal, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute, Noida, stated, 'Silent heart attacks are very hard to detect and having it once puts you at a greater risk of having another possibly fatal heart attack. The only way to tell if you've had a silent heart attack is to have imaging tests, such as an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram or others. These tests can reveal changes that signal you've had a heart attack. A large section of diabetics fall prey to these heart problems. The reason for this is diabetes-related nerve damage that blunts heart pain. A earlier incidence of heart disease is another cause for silent heart attacks. Smoking is a major risk factor for premature heart disease. Quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications. It is important to keep your blood pressure under control. The optimal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, as measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).One must conduct a base line cholesterol test when you're in your 20s and then at least every five years. You may need to start testing earlier if high cholesterol is in your family.' (Read: 8 first aid steps you should take in case of a heart attack.)
On World Heart Day, it is imperative to raise awareness about how Indians must change their lifestyle trends and walk on the path of healthy and pain-free life. It is very hard for one to judge if they are suffering from silent heart diseases. If a person lives a predominantly unhealthy lifestyle,has a family history of heart disease or suffers from diabetes, it is recommend that they get regular check-ups and keep a tab on all the minor signs the body has to show as it is not so easy to comprehend at first. Read about a new gold test strip to detect heart attacks early.
Some of the non-classic symptoms of a silent heart attack include unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath and/or discomfort in the throat, neck, jaw or a single extremity. Other patients will experience what feels like heartburn, and they will simply take medication to relieve the heartburn instead of recognizing that the pain could be coming from their heart. People must be their own physician, it you experience a distinct change in how you feel, no matter how subtle, you should seek medical attention. (Read: 9 expert tips to prevent heart attacks.)
Photo source: Getty images
