ORLANDO, Fla. – Every 40 seconds someone in America has a heart attack and over 800,000 people die every year from heart attacks. One in five heart attacks is silent, meaning blockage of blood flow to the heart starts and the person is completely unaware.
Many of the silent warning signs could make the difference between life and death.
“Over half the people that are going to die in America are going to die of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Jeff Schussler, an Interventional Cardiologist & Medical Director of the Cardiovascular ICU at Baylor Scott & White Health.
The known symptoms are rapid chest pains, but that’s not always the case.
“I had a patient who had a toothache that turned out to be her symptom of having a heart attack,” Said Dr. Annabelle Volgman, Medical Director at Rush Heart Center for Women.
There are many lesser-known signs of a heart attack. Silent signs that may come on more gradually include things such as toothaches, 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.
Early symptoms occur in 50% 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.