Topic(s): Acute Cardiac Care Sophia Antipolis, 6 May 2021: One in four heart attack patients have atypical symptoms such as breathing difficulties, extreme exhaustion, and abdominal pain, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal – Acute Cardiovascular Care, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). 1 Patients with atypical symptoms were less likely to receive emergency help and more likely to die within 30 days compared to those with chest pain. “We found that atypical symptoms were most common among older people, especially women, who called a non-emergency helpline for assistance,” said study author Ms. Amalie Lykkemark Møller, PhD student, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark. “This suggests that patients were unaware that their symptoms required urgent attention.”