Is it possible to have a heart attack and not know it?

By Meredith Bailey

At a glance

• Not everyone experiencing a heart attack has classic symptoms like severe chest pain
• Some people experience silent heart attacks — when symptoms are subtle or not present at all
• People with diabetes and women are at an increased risk for silent heart attacks

When we think of a person having a heart attack, the image is often of someone experiencing crushing chest pain that radiates down the arm.

But not everyone has these classic symptoms. In fact, some experience what’s called a silent heart attack — where there are no symptoms at all, mild symptoms or symptoms that are atypical (not commonly associated with a heart attack).

Read the full MultiCare Vitals blog article here.