Unveiling the silent signs of heart attacks

ORLANDO, Fla. – Every 40 seconds someone in America has a heart attack and over 800 thousand people die every year from heart attacks. One in five heart attacks are silent, meaning blockage of blood flow to the heart starts and the person is completely unaware. There are many silent warning signs that could make the difference between life and death.

Jeff Schussler, MD, Interventional Cardiologist & Medical Dir. of the Cardiovascular ICU at Baylor Scott & White Health explains, “Over half the people that are going to die in America are going to die of cardiovascular disease.”

Every minute in the United States, someone will experience a heart attack and 12 percent of people will die from it. The known symptoms are rapid chest pains, but that’s not always the case.

Annabelle Volgman, MD, Medical Director at Rush Heart Center for Women says, “I had a patient who had a toothache that turned out to be her symptom for having a heart attack.”

There are many lesser-known signs of a heart attack. Silent signs that may come on more gradually include things such as tooth aches, cold sweats, pain in the arms, neck, or jaw, and difficulty digesting. Also, sudden bursts of anxiety or feelings of impending doom.

And while heart attacks are more common in men, women are more likely to experience gradual and lesser-known symptoms and are more likely to die. Helping you spot silent killers.

Early symptoms occur in 50 percent of cardiovascular health issues and are ignored. While heart attacks most commonly occur in middle age, anyone at any age can experience a cardiac emergency.