As a Pharm D Student, I came across a male patient who is 75 years old presented with chief complaints of generalized weakness since 1 month came to hospital for general follow up. At first the symptoms seemed normal but the clinical picture revealed much more.
The patient is a known case of diabetes mellitus and hypertension since 2014, this patient has a history of Coronary Artery Disease(CAD) and underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting(CABG) in the year 2014, and the patient also has a past history of open hernia repair and hemorrhoids.
Upon evaluation the patient’s blood pressure was high, and the tests showed that the patient’s heart was damaged even though the heart was still pumping well.This shows that heart disease can get worse silently, even when the symptoms seem mild.. Coronary Heart Disease mainly affects the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, called the coronary arteries. It is mainly caused by atherosclerosis that is build up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls, which reduces the blood flow to the heart muscle.
After proper assessment, the patient was treated with antiplatelets, stains, beta-blockers and by monitoring for drug interactions and complications.
This case taught me that it is crucial to check for drug interactions, ensure medication safety and counsel patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and long term heart conditions like CAD, the symptoms may seem normal, but the risks are fatal.
Are we paying enough attention to “silent symptoms” before they turn into life-threatening cardiac events?
MBH/AB