00:00A heart attack is a life-threatening medical emergency.
00:05And while chest pain is the classic warning sign,
00:08not every heart attack announces itself so clearly.
00:12Some happen silently.
00:14In conjunction with World Heart Day,
00:16FMT speaks with Dr. Lee Wei-Liang,
00:19a cardiologist at Institute Jantung Negara,
00:22to uncover the truth about silent heart attacks.
00:25A silent heart attack is usually,
00:29they don't come with the usual symptoms of chest discomfort.
00:34All the symptoms are so mild that people disregard it as a heart attack.
00:41According to Lee, globally,
00:43about 20-30% of heart attacks happen without the tell-tale chest discomfort.
00:49So the question is, if it's silent, how can you tell if it's happening?
00:54What signs should you look out for?
00:58The silent signs of heart attack that I gathered over the years of being a doctor
01:05are usually heartburn or indigestion,
01:10breathlessness and fatigue,
01:13pain elsewhere other than the chest,
01:15for example, the pain at the jaw, the neck,
01:20the pain at your shoulder or your upper arm.
01:23And some patients might also present with excessive sweating.
01:32And in some, they come with giddiness.
01:36So these are the usual five silent heart attacks that we know so far.
01:42The problem is that these signs could easily be mistaken for something else.
01:47Could that indigestion you're feeling be the result of too much spicy food?
01:51If you don't feel your usual self, you should always seek medical attention.
01:56Only through investigation, we can actually diagnose or confirm a heart attack.
02:04Most importantly, never underestimate the dangers of a silent heart attack.
02:10Yeah, I would say they are at least as dangerous as a typical heart attack.
02:16And in some cases, they might be even more detrimental because
02:20because people suffering from silent heart attack,
02:24they often disregard the symptoms and then they seek medical treatment later
02:30when they develop complications.
02:32For example, when the heart fails, they will be more breathless,
02:37they will have a leg edema.
02:39That is where they start to seek medical attention
02:42and that they have actually lost the golden opportunity for early intervention.
02:49So I would say, in some cases, it will be actually more dangerous.
02:53Just like a typical heart attack,
02:56the risk factors for a silent heart attack fall into two categories,
03:00non-modifiable and modifiable.
03:03Non-modifiable factors include age, gender and family history.
03:08According to Lee, a silent heart attack is more common among older adults
03:12and women.
03:13Modifiable factors, on the other hand, cover aspects you can control,
03:17such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight,
03:22tobacco smoking and stress.
03:25While silent heart attacks may sound scary,
03:28there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.
03:31Well, I would say the best way is to increase our own awareness
03:36and try to identify our risk factors.
03:39That is something very important.
03:42We work, we identify our risk factors and we work on it
03:46and try to control them.
03:48And the other one will be regular health screening.
03:52It's very important as it allows us to pick up the risk factors
03:55at a very early stage.
03:58Again, I would like to stress,
04:00if you feel unwell or worried that you might suffer from a heart attack,
04:04do seek immediate medical attention.
04:07It is better to be safe than sorry.
04:10If you're unsure about whether you're facing signs of a silent heart attack,
04:15allay your fears by booking a consultation with IGN today.
04:18Natasha Bust and Sheila Vijayan, FMT.
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