MORE than half of heart attacks suffered by women and a third experienced by men are unrecognised at the time, Dutch researchers have found.
They assessed more than 4,000 people aged over 55 and estimated that 43 per cent of heart attacks had been unrecognised, the European Heart Journal says.
Eric Boersma, a co-author of the study by researchers from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, explained why an attack, also known as a myocardial infarction (MI), could be missed: “MIs can occur without typical symptoms in women, also in people with diabetes and the elderly. They may sense shoulder pain instead of chest pain, may think they have severe flu, and may complain of stomach pain.” He added that women and their doctors tended to be more concerned about cancer.
Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The study, which relied on ECGs (electrocardiograms), suggests that unrecognised heart attacks may be more common than was once thought. However, this study was carried out in the 1990s — today we are more vigilant.
“Regular ECGs may help to identify patients who have unrecognised heart disease and might benefit from treatment.”