What symptom is an elderly patient more likely to experience during a myocardial infarction than a younger patient?

During a myocardial infarction, elderly patients often present atypically, and one of the more common symptoms they may experience is shortness of breath without accompanying chest pain. This symptom can sometimes be misleading, as many younger patients typically present with classic symptoms like chest pain or pain radiating to the arm.

In older adults, the physiology of pain perception can change; they may have a diminished sensation of pain or a higher threshold for pain awareness. Consequently, instead of the expected chest pain, they might experience dyspnea as their primary symptom. This variation emphasizes the importance of recognizing atypical signs of cardiac events in elderly patients, as it may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment if healthcare providers rely solely on traditional presentations of myocardial infarction.

While nausea and vomiting, sudden dizziness, and chest pain radiating to the arm can occur in both elderly and younger patients, shortness of breath without chest pain stands out as a symptom that is particularly prevalent in the elderly demographic during myocardial infarctions. This highlights the need for providers to maintain a high index of suspicion for cardiac events in older adults, even when classic symptoms are absent.