45% Of All Heart Attacks Are 'Silent'

                Nearly half of all heart attacks may be ‘silent’ and display no obvious symptoms, but significantly increase the risk of death. A heart attack does not always have classic symptoms, such as pain in the chest, shortness of breath and cold sweats. It can occur without symptoms which is called a silent heart attack (when the blood flow to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely).

                The outcome of a silent heart attack is as bad as a heart attack that is recognized while it is happening and because patients do not know they have had a silent heart attack, they may not receive the treatment they need. Researchers analyzed the records of 9,498 middle-aged people enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, a study analyzing the causes and outcomes of atherosclerosis – hardening of the arteries.

                They examined heart attack differences between blacks and whites as well as men and women. Over an average of none years after the start of the study, 317 participants had silent heart attacks while 386 had heart attacks with clinical symptoms. They continued to follow participants for more than two decades to track deaths from heart attack and other diseases.

                The silent heart attacks made up 45% of all heart attacks and increased the chances of death by a heart disease by three times. They found all causes by 34% and were more common in men but more likely to cause death in women. This study also suggested that blacks may fare worse than whites. Symptoms of silent heart attacks are barely noticed, if at all. They are detected later, usually when patients undergo and electrocardiogram.