Duration of a silent heart attack
Often unspecific signs such as nausea and vomiting appear days or weeks before a silent heart attack, but do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the actual occurrence of the infarct. The suspicion of a silent myocardial infarction becomes stronger if some symptoms appear suddenly and for a duration of more than 5 minutes. Persistent signs lasting up to 30 minutes are possible. However, since the silent myocardial infarction is typically not accompanied by these acute symptoms, its duration can usually neither be predicted nor later determined. The consequences of a silent myocardial infarction, however, remain permanent unless they are medically treated.
Consequences of a silent heart attack
The consequences of a silent heart attack are mainly caused by damage to the heart muscles. Depending on the size of the infarct, different numbers of heart muscle cells are affected. In the case of a mute myocardial infarction, which affects a larger area, heart rhythm disturbances can occur.
Since the cells die and scars are formed at the affected area, the electrical excitation that commands the muscles to contract (contract) can no longer be transmitted. The individual cells are therefore no longer coordinated together and work independently of each other. For this reason, the heart is subjected to increasing stress, which can lead to cardiac insufficiency (inability of the heart to pump the necessary amount of blood into the circulation).
As a result, the performance of the heart and thus the person is usually limited. This is because the heart can no longer cope with the additional work that is required during physical exertion. In the long run, a silent heart attack can lead to a shortened life expectancy due to the increased strain on the heart. In addition, the risk of suffering another heart attack increases.
How common is a silent heart attack?
In Germany about 280,000 people suffer a heart attack every year. So far, it is estimated that one in three heart attacks is silent and therefore without any noticeable symptoms. This means that in Germany, as in many other industrialized nations, around 3 in 1,000 people suffer a heart attack every year.
This means that every year about one in a thousand people suffer a silent heart attack. When considering the frequency of silent heart attacks, however, it should be noted that 75% of the people who suffer a heart attack are over 55 years old. Whereby in particular persons with increased risk (due to high-risk diseases, high blood pressure, bad ratio of blood lipids, smoking, etc.) can also suffer silent heart attacks at an earlier age.
