Article by Sven Ullmann, who runs Deserved Health – information on health for you and your family. Read more about silent heart attack.
Silent Heart Attack
Monday
Nov 30, 2009
Heart attacks are a major cause of death and disability. Most people assume that the onset of a heart attack is accompanied by a series of symptoms such as chest pain and pain in the right arm or passing out. For the victim of the silent heart attack this is not always the case. The silent heart attack can come on with very minor symptoms and be just as deadly as any other heart attack. A heat attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle itself is blocked and causes part of the heart to die. This in turn causes the heart to malfunction.
Recovering from a heart attack is contingent on the swiftness of the reaction to its symptoms. Delay can be deadly in the event of a heart attack. By virtue of the fact that a silent heart attack comes on without the extreme symptoms a person generally expects in the event of a heart attack, immediate treatment is quite often delayed until it is too late. Symptoms of the silent heart attack can be as follows. Pain in your arms,chest and jaw that seem to get better if you rest. Being short of breath and getting tired easily. Chest pain is a major red flag for an oncoming heart attack it is not always present during a silent heart attack.
Fast treatment is the key to surviving a heart attack. Due to the fact that the symptoms of the silent heart attack can feel relief with a little rest, they sometimes can delay treatment which in turn can be devastating. Jaw pain in a heart attack can sometimes mistaken for a tooth ache and the arm pain can be misconstrued for a pulled muscle. The chest pain can be attributed to an ulcer, heart burn or severe gas pain. This has caused people to sit at home and misdiagnose themselves and die from an otherwise treatable heart attack. Determining if you are at risk for a silent heart attack is a preemptive step you can take.
Those mostly at risk for a silent heart attack are people who have had a previous heart attack. Also at risk are diabetics and those over the age of sixty-five and people prone to strokes. Some medications can carry with them a risk of making a person more at risk for a silent heart attack. Always ask your doctor to explain in detail all side effects of any medication you are prescribed. Smoking and alcohol consumption can also increase the risk of heart attack as can being over weight. It is important to bear in mind that everyone can take steps to minimize their risk of having a silent heart attack. Exercising more and talking to your doctor can only help to reduce your chances.
If you have taken stock of your risk factors and have determined that you are at risk for a silent heart attack then a plan of action should be in place in the event you ever do find yourself having a silent heart attack. Never let doubt come into play in such a serious situation. This is a common problem. People have actually delayed seeking treatment for a heart attack because they were worried about the resulting medical bills. What good is money if your dead? People have gone to chiropractors and dentists to find relief from the symptoms of a silent heart attack. Make your plans before the symptoms occur when you can think clearly and with a cool head.
Silent Heart Attack and Its Atypical Signs
Tuesday
Sep 15, 2009
During heart attack one might feel dizzy although is not a common symptom it has been observed at some people with heart attack. Heart attacks are more often in the morning because of the amounts of adrenaline in the blood. Too much adrenaline in the blood may determine formation of clot and rupture of plaque. Cardiac pain is dull, vague and has been described as pressure, fullness, squeezing and other sensation of discomfort. Studies have shown that heart attacks are more frequent in winter, diabetic people have silent heart attacks which means that there is no pain in the chest.
Symptoms
If you feel an intense and suffocating pain in the chest for more than 15 minutes and doesn?t stop at nitroglycerin it means that you are having a heart attack. It is indicated to take aspirin and drink water that helps the heart getting more blood if you are having a heart attack indeed. Sometimes the heart attack symptoms may act as an indigestion with a sensation of fainting and pain in the middle of the abdomen.
Silent heart attacks
Silent heart attacks are the most dangerous ones because people don?t know what?s happening they consider it?s only a state of moment and forget soon about the discomfort and indisposition felt and do not announce a doctor which has a vital risk. Silent heart attacks are those attacks that have no warning symptoms or signs, or may appear atypical signs such as: nausea, sweating, headache and dizziness. Silent heart attacks are common in people older than 65 years and diabetics and women.
American Heart Association and other experts suggest that we should pay attention to the following signals: pain, squeezing, fullness in the center of the heart, pain radiating in the shoulder and arms, burning, pressure, heavy weight. Other symptoms may be: fainting, nausea, sweating, shortness of breath, anxiety, irregular heart rate, pallor, anxiety, nervousness. If you notice any of these symptoms you should address immediately to the emergency medical services at 911 or begin the CPR.
The doctor will diagnose the heart attack after studying several tests: EKG a device that gives the graphical record of the heart?s electrical activity, a physical examination and knowing the complete medical history of the patient, high enzymes in the blood appear in heart attack, those steps are also helpfull. Cardiac enzymes may be determined later in the intensive care unit and urgent care setting so they confirm or infirm the suspicions of heart attack.
Often heart attack is slowly with mild pain and the person in cause doesn?t understand what?s happening, on the other hand the heart attack might be intense and movie-like. The most common signs are: chest discomfort which may be felt as pain, pressure, squeezing, fullness and which may last for minutes. Other symptoms are: pain in both arms, neck, stomach, back, shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweating.
If you want to find out more resources about heart attack symptoms or about vioxx heart attack please review this page http://www.heart-attack-guide.com
If you want to find out more resources about heart attack symptoms or about vioxx heart attack please review this page http://www.heart-attack-guide.com
Silent Heart Attack Symptoms – Why Didn’t I Feel A Thing
Saturday
Aug 22, 2009
It has already been established that more people die from heart attacks than any other condition known to man.? More women than men die from it, and more blacks than whites are diagnosed with it.? But these are just facts of the number of incidence of heart attacks that we are of aware of.
It appears there’s another killer among the population that you don’t hear much about, and it goes by the name of Silent Heart Attack or Non Q-wave Unrecognized Myocardial Infarction (UMI). It happens more often that previously thought and carries with it a uniquely high risk of premature death. These silent heart attacks go totally unnoticed because there is no pain associated with them and they don’t show up on EKG tracings.
It is difficult to comprehend how often these types of heart attacks occur, and no one can predict the future outcome of this condition. They are silent in nature and detection is elusive until after the fact.? Silent heart attacks occur more often in people who have significant heart disease.? With heart disease, the nerves surrounding the heart are usually damaged, which explains how a silent heart attack can happen without the victim’s knowledge.??
Those at risk for silent heart attack include diabetics, who are more prone to this type of attack, as well as women, the elderly, and those diagnosed with having heart disease.? Presently, there are no clear cut guidelines for the treatment of patients who exhibit signs and symptoms of having a silent heart attack, or Non Q-Wave UMI, but recent clinical studies have been conducted to help find an appropriate treatment.? Currently, the treatment for silent heart attack is no different than the care given to those who have already been diagnosed with heart disease.
Silent heart attack symptoms do not resemble the classic heart attack symptoms.? A known cause of this condition is Silent Ischemia (Decreased blood supply to the heart muscle).? When blood flow to the heart is blocked by plaque, the heart muscle in the area of the blockage becomes damaged.? It does not produce any symptoms because the nerve supply to the coronary arteries is also damaged. Surprisingly, when an attack is severe there may not be any chest pain at all. This can be the only a welcomed factor to having a painless heart attack, as the pain can be excruciatingly debilitating.
Barb Hicks is a featured health writer on Clivir.com – The Free Learning Community Site. She provides more information on Women Heart Disease, Heart Attack Symptoms In Women and Hidden Heart Attack Signs in Women on Clivir.