A friend very near and dear to me recently had 2 major bouts of chest pain. The first night was Saturday. He thought he had heartburn and didn't say anything to me while we watched a movie together. He went home and doubled over with chest pain on his bed and literally lost 12 hours. He woke up Sunday morning and doesn't remember anything at all from the previous 12 hours. At first, he was confused and didn't know who he was. He was utterly cold and tingly all the way until Tuesday, when he had his 2nd attack. He drove himself to the hospital was told he'd suffered not one, but probably two heart attacks. He was admitted to hospital where he had several blood tests and had ECGs. His blood pressure was all over the map, as high as 180/107 and as low as 66/88. His troponin came back high three times. He went sent for an angiogram, but there appears to be no evidence whatsoever of heart disease (thank God). There is no damage and no evidence of a heart attack. So now, the doctors are thinking it was possibly not a heart attack, but have no answers to give him on what may have caused his symptoms. My friend is male, 39 years old. He's in excellent shape - keeps very active and eats properly. Does anyone know of any other reasons troponin could be high other than heart attack? If it was a heart attack, we need to be thankful that there's no damage, but does anyone have any other ideas on what could have happened? If it was a heart attack, what are the chances it's going to happen again?
I should also mention the extreme fatigue. Sleeping for 12 hours and still waking up exhausted. It was also discovered while he was in hospital that he has sleep apnea. So the exhaustion could be related to either the sleep apnea or whatever is going on. Thanks for all answers.
matador 89 - Shannon H,
ReplyDeleteWhilst the details that you provide are explicit, they do not provide any readings from the ECG or other tests that convinced the doctor(s) that there had been no coronary incident. All the symptoms and signs that you describe indicate a stroke/heart attack/blood pressure related incident. There may be an EEG to follow that might be of assistance. Normally, cardiac troponin levels are so low that they cannot be measured. Even slight elevations may indicate some degree of damage to the heart. When a patient has significantly elevated troponin concentrations, then it is likely that the patient has had a heart attack or some other form of damage to the heart. Troponin values can remain high for 1–2 weeks after a heart attack. The test is not affected by damage to other muscles, so injections, accidents, and drugs that can damage muscle do not affect troponin levels. Troponin may rise following strenuous exercise, although in the absence of signs and symptoms of heart disease, it is usually of no medical significance. I wish your friend well and would advise that any ‘unusual’ symptoms be noted and mentioned to the doctor at his next consultation, or if another incident causes a further emergency visit/admission.
ALL ANSWERS SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, IN ANY FORUM AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS ONE. - MANY ANSWERS ARE FLAWED.
It is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms.
The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.
Hope this helps
matador 89
Dylan Pointon - Elevated Troponin levels indicate a myocardial infarction (heart attack) But what you have said is That he had Severe hypertension which most likely caused the heart attack. That would be my answer
ReplyDeleteA myocardial infarction secondary to hypertension