So many of us were touched in some way by our brother, Don Kleinschmidt. And the shock of his passing has made dealing with this pain that much harder for us to accept. We know that Don passed away suddenly of a "silent" heart attack, but many of us never heard of this condition until just last week and fewer still understand what it is. Sometimes information brings answers and understanding. And for many of us, that is the first step we need to take in coming to terms with this terrible loss.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in America. One common consequence of heart disease is heart attacks. Heart attacks occur when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Without blood and the oxygen it carries, the heart (or part of it) starts to die.

The most common symptom of a heart attack is severe chest pain. But many people have at least one other common symptom, including: pain in the upper belly, arm, neck, jaw or back, sweating, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, trouble breathing or shortness of breath, racing heart, feeling weak or dizzy.

Interestingly enough, the nation's longest-running heart study suggests that about one heart attack in four (25%) produces no symptoms, or at least none that the victim associates with a heart problem. This is referred to as a “silent” heart attack. There are two types of “silent” heart attacks: one kind is truly silent and has no symptoms and the other has symptoms, but they are either very mild or are ignored because they are not recognized as signs of a heart attack by the victim.

Now that we know what a silent heart attack is, let's all try to pay extra attention to signs of distress including sweating (particularly cold sweat), shortness of breath, pain in chest, arm and/or jaw. Those with diabetes are particularly prone to “silent” heart attacks because diabetic-related damage to the nervous system makes them less likely to “feel” discomfort. The longer you are diabetic, the greater the risk of heart disease. That means diabetics have to be extra diligent in watching for signs of a heart attack.

Some of us are more prone to heart disease than others, because of our genetic make-up. While all of us have to be diligent in this battle against heart disease, those of us with a family history of heart disease have to be that much more aware of the risks, symptoms and methods of prevention. The good news is that there are some things we can do to aggressively battle heart disease and reduce our chances of having a heart attack. Aerobic exercise, proper nutrition, appropriate stress management, control of blood pressure, management of our cholesterol levels, and not smoking are a few effective prevention tactics. Being compliant with prescribed medications, getting annual physical exams, and voicing symptoms to your doctor are also important steps that all of us need to take in this battle. When we get a physical exam, one of the common lab tests performed is a cholesterol test, which identifies the level of LDL and HDL in our blood. The results can be an indicator of increasing risk for blockage, which is a leading cause of heart attack. Depending on your cholesterol test results, your doctor will respond with change-of-behavior-advice and/or treatment protocol.

About 50% of deaths occur out of the hospital, so if in doubt, go directly of the ER. If you are not feeling quite right and need more information about what the next course of action is, you can talk to your doctor or call CIGNA HealthCare's Health Information Line at #800 CIGNA24 to talk to a medical professional.

Ultimately, every one of us should be taking a Health Risk Assessment on mycigna.com, reviewing the results, and sharing the results with our doctor. The Health Risk Assessment can help you understand your propensity for heart disease and other serious conditions, the actions to take, and topics to discuss with your doctor to manage and battle your risks.

We are all so very upset by the loss of our brother and our friend, Don. We hope that this information, in some small way, helps you better understand and begin to deal with this terrible loss.

References:
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/silent-symptoms
http://www.heartinfo.org/hrtatkang.html
https://my.cigna.com/
CIGNA HealthCare Medical Director