A silent heart attack, also known as a silent myocardial infarction, is a type of heart attack that occurs without the typical symptoms that people associate with a heart attack. This can include the absence of severe chest pain or discomfort, which is why it's often referred to as being "silent." Silent heart attacks can be just as serious as those with noticeable symptoms because the damage to the heart muscle is the same. The medical term for this condition is silent ischemia, which refers to a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. This lack of oxygen is typically due to blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, which can lead to heart muscle damage or death. Silent heart attacks are often discovered only after an electrocardiogram (ECG) is performed for other reasons, or during the evaluation of a suspected heart problem. read more >>

A heart attack does not always have obvious symptoms, such as pain in your chest, shortness of breath and cold sweats. In fact, a heart attack can actually happen without a person knowing it. It is called a silent heart attack, or medically referred to as silent ischemia (lack of oxygen) to the heart muscle.read more >>