Many Heart Attack Patients Do Not Have Chest Pains
Many who suffer heart attacks do not have the classic symptom of chest pain. CBS medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay talked about the new findings.
When we think of heart attack we also naturally think of chest pain. But a study published in today’s issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association says that in many cases heart attacks occur without chest pain and that this can affect the way patients are treated and how well they do after a heart attack. The study looked at hundreds of thousands of heart attack victims and found that almost a third did not suffer chest pain as a symptom. And as a result they were almost twice as likely to die. Those patients also had a longer delay getting to the hospital and were less likely to be diagnosed quickly and receive life-saving treatments. Researchers say that the public and doctors need to be educated about symptoms in addition to chest pain that can mean a person is having a heart attack.
These are the symptoms that we all need to be on the look out for when it comes to heart attack. Other than chest pain, a person suffering a heart attack might also have pain in the back, jaw, neck, shoulder, arm or stomach. They may also suffer shortness of breath, sweating, irregular heart rhythms, fainting spells, general weakness and sudden indigestion. Any of these symptoms can be a sign of a heart attack.
The study showed that certain categories of people were more likely to have no chest pain including women, diabetics, seniors and people who have already suffered a heart attack or a stroke before. But the message for everybody here is that just because you don't have any chest pain doesn't mean that you don't have any problems with your heart.
The traditional stress test either using a treadmill or drugs is the standard way to diagnose and predict heart disease. But unfortunately the most common way to realize you have heart trouble is when a heart attack strikes without warning. So if you have a family history of heart disease or risk factors like smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, you should talk to your doctor about getting a stress test.
Doctors have a much harder time diagnosing heart trouble early for women with the treadmill. But new studies have shown that ultrasound can also be an effective way to diagnose heart disease, and we may see more of that in the future as a quick and non-invasive way to check out heart trouble. But the bottom line is--don't rule out the possibility of heart trouble just because there is no chest pain. If you have any persistent symptoms you should tell your doctor.
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