Q. What is a silent myocardial infarction?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
A silent myocardial infarction (SMI) is a type of heart attack that does not produce any obvious symptoms. It occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a portion of the heart muscle is reduced or blocked. This can happen due to a narrowing or blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries. Ultimately, if left untreated, this can lead to damage to the affected area and even death from cardiac arrest.
The most common cause for an SMI is atherosclerosis, which is when fatty deposits (plaque) build up in your artery walls over time and narrow them down as they harden. Other causes include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking and high cholesterol levels.
It’s estimated that approximately 1 million Americans suffer from SMIs each year: 25-50% are initially undiagnosed because they lack the classic symptoms related with other types of heart attacks such as chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath and/or sweating. Therefore it’s important to know what other indicators may signal an SMI such as fatigue on exertion; feeling dull pains in your chest; feeling lightheaded; nausea; indigestion; back pain between shoulder blades etc..
Diagnosis relies heavily upon medical history such as risk factors for coronary artery disease and laboratory tests including ECG findings that measure electrical activity within your heart muscle changes over 24 hours using Holter monitors (a portable device). Additionally echocardiograms help detect structural problems with the chambers and valves in your hearts and MRI scans provide detailed images showing how much damage has occurred from an MI along with information needed for development assessment plans accordingly . To prevent further damage being done treatments includes lifestyle modifications diet control through nutritional guidance exercise therapy stress management medications etc..
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