World Heart Day 2022: Silent attacks account for 45% of heart attacks in men say doctors

• Silent heart attacks appear to be common as they account for about 45% of heart attacks, say doctors.
• According to the American Heart Association (AHA), silent heart attacks account for at least 1,70,000 of the estimated 8,05,000 annual heart attacks, globally.
• Indigestion, a case of the flu, strained muscle in chest or upper back, discomfort in the chest or in the jaw or in upper back or arms — are some of the early warning signs of silent heart attacks.

Do you know? There’s a new killer in the town which comes unannounced and just creeps up on people.

And there’s no prize for guessing, it is definitely silent heart attacks.

As the name suggests, a silent heart attack is a heart attack that has either no symptoms, minimal symptoms or unrecognized symptoms. It is a type of disease, which will come unannounced and one will never know when having one.

Silent heart attacks appear to be common as they account for about 45% of heart attacks and strike men more than women, Dr Sudheer Koganti, consultant cardiologist, Citizens Specialty Hospital, Hyderabad told Business Insider India.

A heart attack is not always as obvious as pain in your chest, shortness of breath and sweating. But it is like any other heart attack where blood flow to a section of the heart is temporarily blocked and can cause scarring and damage to the heart muscle. Hence, immediate medical attention is advised.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), silent heart attacks account for at least 1,70,000 of the estimated 8,05,000 annual heart attacks, globally.

How do we know if it's a silent heart attack?

According to Dr Vikrant Khese, consultant cardiologist, Apollo Clinic, Pune, silent heart attacks can have non-specific and subtle symptoms.

Indigestion, a case of the flu, strained muscle in chest or upper back, discomfort in the chest or in the jaw or in upper back or arms — are some of the early warning signs of silent heart attacks.

The symptoms of silent heart attack are so mild that they are often mistaken as a regular discomfort or a small problem.

Doctors say that if a person with these similar symptoms are left without immediate medical attention, it can rapidly increase the chances of a person having a second and potentially more severe heart attack.

Cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, and/or light-headedness are some other common warning signs of silent heart attack which is commonly also mistaken as normal flu.

The AHA research also shows that silent heart attacks are more common in men than women. However, females may be at a higher risk of complications than males.

Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and a strong family history of disease in the blood vessels of the heart — are some of the common reasons behind heart-related diseases.

The only way to decrease the risk of silent heart attacks is to prevent clotting, eat a healthy diet, be physically active, control your blood pressure and blood sugar levels and avoid alcohol and smoking.

Is Covid causing heart problems?

Around 50-60% of people who had coronavirus are found to have affected cardiac muscle, according to Dr Aparna Jaswal, director - electrophysiology and cardiac pacing, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.

Covid-19 has not only led to an increase in the number of heart attacks but also sudden cardiac deaths as well, Dr Jaswal further highlighted.

“We have realized that in post-Covid era, people with no prior history of cardiac disorders are also experiencing sudden cardiac death. Covid has clearly been linked to causing sudden cardiac death. The reason for this has been associated with Covid affecting the myocardium which means the muscle of the heart,” Dr Jaswal said.

She further added, “As a result of which, the heart muscle can become weak and there can be small scars that can ultimately be responsible for abnormal rhythms and culminate in sudden cardiac death.”

A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.

“We have seen there has been an upsurge of sudden cardiac death in younger patients. It may be simply an association because a very large number of young people had Covid virus affected as a result of which there is an increase in sudden cardiac arrest in young. It is important to understand if anyone would be at risk of sudden death because of Covid,” Dr Jaswal added.

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