This can lead to delays in treatment as the obstruction of blood flow causes damage to the heart.
PixelsEffect/Getty Images
What Are the Symptoms of a Silent Heart Attack?
Most people who have a heart attack know immediately that something is wrong.
PixelsEffect/Getty Images
This is especially true in younger people who don’t consider themselves to be candidates for a heart attack.
Can You Have a Heart Attack and Not Know It?
But this doesn’t mean that a silent heart attack is any less serious than a regular one.
It usually pops up if the buildup ofplaquein acoronary arteryspontaneously ruptures.
The rupture causes a blood clot to form which blocks the artery.
Unless the blockage is cleared, that section of the heart muscle will die.
In such cases, the healthcare provider will usually order a test called anelectrocardiogram (ECG).
An ECG can usually detect signs of heart damage based on changes in the electrical pattern of a heartbeat.
The suspicions can usually be confirmed with anechocardiogram.
This is an imaging test that visualizes the heart muscle and coronary arteries using reflected sound waves.
Research suggests that one of every eight heart attacks is silent.
Bonow RO.Unrecognized myocardial infarction and unrecognized cardiovascular risk.JAMA Cardiol.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heart attack symptoms, risk, and recovery.
2016;134 (Suppl 1):A15785.
National Health Service (UK).Diagnosing a heart attack.
doi:10.1161/JAHA.120.017044
American Heart Association.Treatment of a heart attack.
