Key result
Atypical symptoms like tenderness linked to misinterpreting acute coronary syndrome as non-cardiac.
Why the study?
The associations between symptom characteristics, patient interpretations, and knowledge sources about acute coronary syndrome remain unclear.
Observational (n=81)
No
Patients with acute coronary syndrome who experience atypical symptoms like tenderness or syncope are more likely to misinterpret their condition, highlighting the need for broader public education on atypical presentations.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Atypical ACS symptoms were associated with misinterpretation; leaves open whether targeted education improves recognition and reduces delays.
Background: The associations between symptom characteristics and patients' interpretations and sources of knowledge about acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. Methods and Results: We enrolled 81 patients with ACS. Patients who misinterpreted their symptoms more frequently reported atypical features such as tenderness (13.3% vs 0%; P=0.028) and syncope (11.8% vs 0%; P=0.011). Common knowledge sources among patients who correctly interpreted their symptoms included television, healthcare professionals, and the internet without social media. Conclusions: Patients experiencing atypical symptoms often misinterpret them. Most knowledge sources for those who interpreted correctly were traditional.
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Uchida et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Acute coronary syndrome (n=81). Misinterpretation of symptoms as non-cardiac vs. Interpretation of symptoms as cardiac was evaluated on Presence of tenderness (p=0.028). Patients who misinterpreted their acute coronary syndrome symptoms as non-cardiac more frequently reported atypical features such as tenderness (13.3% vs 0%) and syncope (11.8% vs 0%).
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