TERRE HAUTE — Just eating lunch can be healthy experience, especially when three doctors are available.

Dana Eslinger, 69, of Sullivan, dined last week at the Wabash Senior Citizen Center, 300 S. Fifth St. She has diabetes and questioned Dr. Kayur Patel, chief medical officer at Terre Haute Regional Hospital, about the signs of a heart attack.

Patel said about 60 percent of people suffering from a heart attack have “classic symptoms” of intense chest pressure or pain, often radiating to the jaw or left arm. “It is the other 40 percent we are worried about,” Patel said, as those people are less likely to seek immediate medical attention.

“Most people with diabetes do not have the classic pain symptoms,” Patel said. “They may experience sweating or vomiting. There are no real signs, just feeling unusual.”

Patel was one of three physicians from Regional Hospital to donate time as part of the center’s monthly “Dine with a Doc” lunch program, launched last June. Physicians in several specialties donate time for the program and local agencies donate a lunch, said Josie Blake, executive director of the senior center.

Terre Haute Regional Hospital donated the lunch last week and provided three hospital physicians — Patel; Dr. Ofelia Balagtas-Balmaseda; and Dr. Manuel A. Cacdac, a neurosurgeon.

Patel said about 40 percent of people suffering a heart attack only feel discomfort to the back or shoulders, nausea and vomiting or merely a feeling of heartburn.

The average age of a first heart attack is 67, but “every year for the last 15 to 20 years, that age is coming down,” he said, as people in their mid-40s or early 50s are suffering heart attacks. “One in three adults die from a heart-related problem,” he said. “They think they are 42 and are not having a heart attack, but it is those patients who wait a long time.

“We have had patients who have been at home drinking Maalox every three to four hours thinking it is just indigestion,” Patel said.

“We are fortunate that in [Terre Haute] there are two hospitals, and both of them have heart catheterization labs. If you look at all the hospitals across the country, only about 20 percent have a heart cath,” he said.

Patel said that in 2006, Terre Haute Regional Hospital became the only certified chest pain center accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers in the Wabash Valley. The society provides a standard for acute cardiac care, he said.

Education about heart symptoms is important, Patel said, as “time is muscle,” as every minute or hour in which treatment is delayed could result in lost muscle for the heart. He said Regional Hospital works to meet a 90-minute response time to get a patient from its emergency room to a catheterization lab.

After the lunch, Eslinger said it was her first time at the Senior Center. “I realize I was meant to be here for what I learned today,” she said.

Lorraine Jolliff, 81, said she personally was happy to see one of the physicians. Jolliff said Cacdac performed back surgery on her about 20 years ago to repair a crushed disc. “I’ve never had any problems. I won’t let him forget he’s the reason I can walk today,” she said.

Cacdac said people 60 and older should be aware of a neurological condition called “normal pressure hydrocephalus,” or NPH, a brain disorder that occurs when fluid builds up in the brain and pushes on brain tissue.

An accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid causes the ventricles of the brain to enlarge, Cacdac said. An MRI (magnetic resonance image) or CT (computerized tomography) scan can detect whether that fluid is building up in the brain. The symptoms include a change in personality or thinking; difficulty in walking; and incontinence, he said.

A 62-year-old Illinois woman, who asked not to be identified, said she was very interested in NPH as her husband was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“He just had an MRI and a CAT scan and we were told they were all right, but I will do a followup to make sure,” she said. “I also have heart problems and lower back pain, so I was very interested. This is a wonderful program.”

George Bechtold, 85, mockingly joked that he was present eating lunch because of his wife, Mary, 83.

“She drags me along as a backup. I come to get along with the younger people,” he joked. “I’m really in perfect health,” he said, then begins to force a cough, trying to hide a smile. “Really, it’s a good organization to belong to and we have a good time.”

Balagtas-Balmaseda addressed chronic low back pain, saying it is one of the leading causes of disability. “We know that 80 percent of older adults suffer from lower back pains,” she said.

Back problems can include pinched nerves, dislocated spinal discs or problems with tendons and ligaments. Most acute back pain lasts only three months and is temporary. “About 95 percent of lower acute back pain will resolve itself,” she said.

That pain can be treated by muscle relaxants, rest and typical ointments. However, if a person has pain that spreads down a leg or to a foot, they should see a doctor, Balagtas-Balmaseda said.

Chronic pain can be the result of many different issues, such as infections, Balagtas-Balmaseda said.

“Common conditions are age-related. In this group,” she said, looking out at the mainly elderly group, “most often it is osteoporosis,” which can cause compression fractures in the spine.