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Apr 20, 2009 6:06 pm US/Central
'Silent Heart Attacks' May Be Deadlier
DENVER (CBS) ―
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A study from Duke University finds more Americans may be suffering "silent heart attacks" than previously suspected. (File)
AP
A study from Duke University finds more Americans may be suffering "silent heart attacks" than previously suspected. And those silent heart attacks may be deadlier than ones with classic symptoms.
Silent heart attacks are usually discovered when doctors do a routine EKG on a patient and find evidence of heart damage. Frequently those patients have no memory of any bad chest pain or other symptoms.
The researchers at Duke used special scanners and determined about one in four heart attacks occurred without any symptoms and in many cases, even EKGs were normal.
Those at highest risk for a silent heart attack include women, people with diabetes, people over the age of 65 although they can happen at any age and anyone with risk factors for heart attacks, especially a strong family history.
Even though they are called silent heart attacks, researchers say there might be brief episode caused by the attack. The episode could be five or ten minutes of feeling short of breath, sweatiness or maybe indigestion.
For patients without risk factors, the study should not be to concerning but patients with those factors may want to have an EKG done regularly and perhaps a stress test to check the muscle of the heart.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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