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Sharjah: When Iqbal Khan (name changed on request), a Pakistani expat working as a driver in the UAE thought something was wrong with his stomach when sudden, severe pain struck his upper abdomen.
The 45-year-old also began sweating heavily. Friends rushed him to a nearby clinic. To Iqbal’s shock, doctors diagnosed an acute inferior STEMI — a serious heart attack affecting the lower wall of the heart.
A STEMI, or ST-elevation myocardial infarction, is a life-threatening type of heart attack in which a coronary artery is completely blocked. Rapid treatment is critical because prolonged blockage can cause irreversible damage to heart muscle.
Sudden crisis
Before Iqbal could reach hospital, however, his condition took a life-threatening turn. He became unresponsive and collapsed inside the vehicle. His heart had stopped.
Iqbal was then rushed to Medcare Hospital Sharjah. However, his heart stopped for a second time, shortly before his emergency procedure.
Dr Rupesh Singh, Specialist in Interventional Cardiology at Medcare Hospital Sharjah, told Gulf News that imaging showed a blood clot had completely blocked a major coronary artery.
Doctors successfully cleared the blockage and restored blood flow. Iqbal spent two days in the intensive care unit before being discharged and has since returned to work.
His case, shared on World Heart Day on September 29, highlights why heart attack symptoms should not automatically be dismissed as acidity, indigestion or a gastric problem.
Not just chest pain
Dr Rupesh said heart attacks do not always begin with typical chest pain. Some patients may instead experience discomfort in the upper abdomen or what feels like severe indigestion.
“Stomach discomfort, particularly when it is unusual or more severe than what they have experienced before, should not automatically be assumed to be acidity or indigestion,” he said.
People should be especially alert when unexplained upper-abdominal discomfort is accompanied by heavy sweating, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, unusual weakness, or discomfort that spreads to the chest, back, shoulder, arm, neck or jaw.
The key warning sign is a symptom that is new, severe, unusual or persistent, particularly in someone with cardiovascular risk factors.
Dr Rupesh said people should not repeatedly self-treat unexplained or unusual upper-abdominal discomfort as acidity. Taking an antacid — or feeling temporary relief after taking one — should not be used to rule out a heart problem.
Most stomach pain is not caused by the heart. However, when abdominal discomfort occurs alongside other possible heart-attack symptoms, it is safer to seek urgent medical assessment rather than assume it is indigestion, he explained.
When stomach pain could be a heart warning
Stomach or upper-abdominal discomfort deserves particular attention when it:
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starts suddenly or is unusually severe;
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occurs with heavy sweating or breathlessness;
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is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness or faintness;
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is associated with chest, back, arm, shoulder, neck or jaw discomfort;
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occurs during exertion or physical activity;
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feels different from previous episodes of acidity or indigestion; or
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persists or keeps returning without an obvious explanation.
Anyone experiencing symptoms suggestive of a heart attack should seek emergency medical help immediately rather than driving themselves to hospital or waiting for the symptoms to pass.
Time can save heart muscle
Data from the Gulf RACE registry, which studied 3,197 STEMI patients across 65 centres in six Arab countries, found that 929 patients — nearly one in three — reached hospital more than 12 hours after their symptoms began.
Delayed presentation was associated with missed opportunities for timely reperfusion treatment.
The findings underline why recognising less typical symptoms can be important. A person experiencing a possible heart attack should not wait for classic chest pain to appear before seeking help.
The warning comes as cardiologists urge greater awareness of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors on World Heart Day.
Cardiovascular disease is the world’s leading cause of death and accounts for about 40 per cent of deaths in the UAE, according to information provided by Medcare. Published UAE health research also identifies cardiovascular disease as a leading cause of mortality in the country.
Prevention helps avoid emergency
Dr Rupesh said awareness and prevention remain important in reducing cardiovascular risk.
People can lower their long-term risk by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, eating a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco, and keeping conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol under control.
Regular health checks can help identify these risk factors before they cause symptoms. People with a family history of premature heart disease or other significant risk factors should discuss their individual cardiovascular risk with a healthcare professional.
