Study: Nearly half of all heart attacks in the U.S. are 'silent'
A new study found that 45 percent of heart attacks in the United States are "silent," with the people having them not experiencing typical symptoms like arm or chest pain.
The damage is the same, and Dr. Elsayed Soliman of Wake Forest Baptist Medial Center, the study's lead author, told NBC News that "because patients don't know they have had a silent heart attack, they may not receive the treatment they need to prevent another one." Heart attacks that go unnoticed can be detected later by electrocardiogram (EKG), and many people that have silent heart attacks wind up going to the hospital with subtle symptoms, like excessive fatigue or indigestion.
The team looked at the medical records of 9,500 middle-aged men and women in a heart disease risk study, and found nine years into the study, 317 participants had silent heart attacks and 386 had heart attacks that were immediately diagnosed. Silent heart attacks need to have aggressive treatment (lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, losing weight, stopping smoking), and people who have them are three times as likely to die of heart disease. The study was published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Quiz of The Week: 4 - 10 May
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Expressionists: a 'rousing' exhibition at the Tate Modern
The Week Recommends Show mixes 'ferociously glowing masterpieces' from Kandinsky with less well-known artwork
By The Week UK Published
-
The Mighty Five: a guide to Utah's mesmerizing national parks
The Week Recommends From Arches to Zion, you should wander them all
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
The Master and Margarita: the new adaptation causing consternation at the Kremlin
Why Everyone's Talking About Pro-Putin groups have called for the film's director to be charged as a terrorist
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The new 'boom' in Latin American fiction
Why everyone's talking about Almost a quarter of International Booker Prize longlist comes from South America, a region in turmoil
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published