Some patients have heart attacks but are not aware of them, and asymptomatic heart attacks are more common than one might think.
A silent heart attack, which can happen to anyone, but is more likely to occur in people with diabetes, may feel nothing or have a mild sensation, such as heartburn or strange pain. The symptoms are so mild that they are often ignored or thought to be just a sign of getting older.
With or without symptoms, heart disease is a very serious condition. It is important to have regular medical checkups. Make sure you manage your body well so that you can detect small changes.
Why is it asymptomatic?
One of the effects of diabetes is a type of nerve damage called neuropathy, which usually causes problems like numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hands and feet. But it’s not just that.
Diabetes can also cause damage to nerves in the heart, bladder, and blood vessels. When this happens, important warning signs like pain or discomfort may not be noticeable.
So the prolonged pain in the chest, arm, or jaw that usually occurs during a heart attack is not usually noticed by people with diabetes, like someone pushing a big mute button. But the damage does happen, and the dangerous consequences of this heart attack are real.
Watch for signs of nerve damage
You can protect yourself by paying close attention to nerve injury. If caught early, the condition can be alleviated.
The following are related symptoms:
- Feeling dizzy or faint when standing;
- difficulty doing even limited exercise;
- Difficulty urinating;
- Sexual dysfunction, such as frigidity;
- Sweating more than usual or not at all;
- Difficulty digesting food, such as flatulence or gastrointestinal distress.
Be alert for signs of a heart attack
Some people don’t have any symptoms at all, and if they do, they are mild and go away quickly. When a heart attack occurs, the person may feel okay overall and may feel pain, pressure, or squeezing in the center of the chest (rather than on the left side). This may look like indigestion, but if the sensation does not go away, it will be a big problem.
Here are some things to look for:
- Cold sweats or wet hands for no apparent reason;
- Feeling dizzy;
- Feeling tired for no reason;
- Heartburn;
- Pain in the jaw, neck, or left arm (especially common in women);
- Gastrointestinal discomfort;
- Shortness of breath, even when not doing any exercise.
If any of these symptoms occur, see your doctor immediately. If in doubt, call 120.
How do you know you are having a heart attack?
It can be a little difficult, and in some cases, a heart attack can be followed by the following symptoms:
- Feeling very tired;
- Heartburn that never goes away;
- Swelling in the legs;
- Never had trouble breathing.
Heart attacks are sometimes discovered accidentally, perhaps by going to the doctor months later and discovering unexpectedly after an exam that you had a heart attack.
Doctors can determine if a heart attack has occurred by examining:
- Blood tests to check for certain proteins that are produced when the heart is damaged;
- Electrocardiogram, to check for electrical signals in the heart;
- Echocardiogram, an ultrasound imaging of the heart.
What are the dangers?
An asymptomatic heart attack should be treated as seriously as an apparently symptomatic heart attack, which can damage and scar the heart and can interfere with normal heart function.
Also, if you don’t know you’ve had a heart attack, you can’t get treatment. Even if you feel good afterwards, you still need to take special care. Without proper treatment, the chances of having a second and more serious attack increase. It is a life-threatening condition that increases the chances of developing other serious illnesses, such as heart failure.