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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower

Indigestion could be red flag sign of 'silent killer' with women more at risk

Indigestion can cause deadly silent heart attacks in people, with women more at risk of the killer condition according to an expert.

Silent heart attacks are so dangerous because they have can have either few or no symptoms.

As a result people can then go back to their daily lives without having a clue they have damage to their organs.

Doctors are trained to look out for the tell tale signs when visited by patients.

The symptoms are so subtle however they can be missed.

Patients may complain of indigestion, the flu, a strained muscle or discomfort in their chest, jaws, upper back or arms, according to Dr Deborah Ekery, a clinical cardiologist at Heart Hospital of Austin in Texas, US.

There are subtle symptoms people should watch out for (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Studies have suggested women are more at risk of silent heart attacks than men, according to the American Heart Association.

Dr Ekery said: “Just like the name implies, a silent heart attack is a heart attack that has either no symptoms, minimal symptoms or unrecognised symptoms.

“But it is like any other heart attack where blood flow to a section of the heart is temporarily blocked and can cause scarring and damage to the heart muscle.

“Some folks have prolonged and excessive fatigue that is unexplained. Those are some of the less specific symptoms for a heart attack, but ones people may ignore or attribute to something else.”

Dr Ekery added the risk factors of silent heart attacks are the same as for recognised ones, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, family history of heart disease, obesity and age.

Because no help was sought after a silent heart attack there also may be more scarring as a result, putting people at risk of it happening again.

The doctor added people who believe they may be having one should go to A&E.

Earlier this year it was reported chest pain and fatigue are considered the most common symptoms ahead of a heart attack - the leading cause of death for women in the UK.

The condition kills around 77 British women every day, but many have their heart attacks dismissed as heartburn, anxiety or ‘a funny turn’.

According to the British Heart Foundation, females are 50 per cent more likely to be wrongly diagnosed when it comes to coronary problems than men.

Experts also have warned of a lesser-known sign which could signal the condition.

A study, published in the journal Circulation, found that indigestion was a common symptom experienced by women in the month leading up to their cardiac event.

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