Health City Blogs

Warning Signs to Watch Out For

The signs of a silent heart attack are less evident and milder. At times, patients may experience slight discomfort in their chest, back, arms, or jaws. Dizziness or fainting spells are frequent among them as well.

They may have trouble doing certain physical activities that they could easily do on a regular day, such as running up a flight of stairs. Exhaustion and breathlessness after daily activities are subtle symptoms and should not be ignored, as they could be a sign of a heart attack.

No one can understand your body better than you. So, listen to your body and get a check-up whenever you feel something is not right.

What’s My Prognosis if I Have a Silent Heart Attack?

Any heart attack can be fatal. In many individuals with coronary artery disease, sudden deaths have occurred. Indeed, many people who have had sudden deaths without any prior history of heart problems probably had a major coronary artery disease or CAD.

It’s also very likely that they encountered numerous events of silent ischemia and even silent heart attacks before their condition turned fatal.

The long-term prognosis for people who look well but are diagnosed with silent heart attacks is worse than people whose heart attacks were diagnosed at the right time and who received prompt heart attack treatment.

As there is a high prevalence of diabetes and kidney disorders in people diagnosed with silent heart attacks, they are at a higher risk of suffering from fatalities. The succeeding episodes of cardiac ischemia will probably be silent, and the victim won’t be treated promptly. Therefore, people with a prior case of a heart attack need to be regular and religious in taking their prescribed medications. They also have to diligently follow a healthy lifestyle to diminish any further risk of heart attacks. Paying attention to any unusual sign, even when it is not associated with heart problems, is essential.

How to Screen for a Silent Heart Attack

Ideally, your doctor will screen you for risk factors of a heart attack during your regular physical exams. The following tests are done to screen for a silent heart attack:

• Electrocardiogram or ECG: An ECG test records the electrical activity of the heart. As injured heart muscle doesn’t conduct electrical impulses normally, the test can help determine if a heart attack has occurred or is in progress.
• Blood tests: In case of damage from a heart attack, some heart proteins may slowly leak into the blood. Emergency room doctors will take your blood samples to look for the presence of these enzymes.
• X-ray: An X-ray lets your doctor check your heart and blood vessels for any change in size.
• Coronary catheterisation or angiogram: A long and thin tube called a catheter containing a liquid dye is introduced through an artery in the leg or groin to the arteries in your heart. Due to the dye, the image of the arteries can be obtained on an X-ray, revealing areas of blockage.

Cardiac CT or MRI: In a Cardiac CT scan, a doughnut-shaped machine collects the images of your heart and chest with the help of an X-ray tube inside the machine. The Cardiac MRI uses radio waves, magnets, and a computer to create detailed images of your heart.

What Preventive Measures Can I Take?

Although heart conditions can be a leading cause of death, you can take many preventive measures to reduce the risks.

• The first thing you need to do for heart attack prevention is to get a health screening done to check if you have any existing artery blockage. Get treatment if necessary.
• You need to consult your doctor and prepare an action plan to keep diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obesity in check. Take your medications seriously.
• Chewing or smoking tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. The chemicals in tobacco can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries and can also damage your blood vessels. The good news is that you reduce the risks of CAD significantly within a year after quitting tobacco.
• Regular exercise is vital. Make it a habit to involve yourself in exercise or physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and control high blood pressure and cholesterol. You don’t have to follow a strenuous workout plan to become healthy, but you can see bigger benefits if you can gradually increase the intensity, frequency, and duration of your workouts.
• Plan and stick to a diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You can eat low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean meats, fish, and beans as a part of a healthy diet.
• Avoid too much salt and sugar and sources of trans fat in your diet. Trans fat is found in bakery products, chips, cookies, and deep-fried fast foods.
• Getting enough quality sleep can get you on the path to a healthy life. Sleep deprivation can increase your risks of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and heart attacks. Set a sleep schedule and follow it strictly.
• As silent heart attacks can happen with or without alarming symptoms, getting regular health screenings is crucial. With routine screening, you can keep a check on your blood pressure levels, cholesterol levels, and diabetes. Your doctor will prescribe medications and ask you to make specific lifestyle changes depending on your condition.