You may have heart problems and not know it.
Coronary heart disease — plaque buildup that narrows the arteries supplying blood to the heart — can cause chest pain and shortness of breath. However, it can also be “silent,” causing few or no symptoms, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute notes.
For some people, the first sign of coronary artery disease is a heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
But for others, their bodies will send clues beforehand that something is wrong, so it’s important to pay attention.
“A substantial minority of patients will have some symptoms that, had they paid attention to them or sought an outpatient evaluation, they might have had a different outcome,” Dr. Sharonne Hayes, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, previously told TODAY.com about five heart attack warning signs not to ignore.
Cardiologist Tip of the Day: Watch for Changes in Your Ability to Exercise
A big warning sign of potential heart trouble is lower exercise tolerance or not being able to do physical activity for as long or as intensely as before.
For example, a person who used to be able to walk up the stairs easily now feels breathless or might even have to stop midway and take a break.
“I find as a physician, one of the most helpful questions when somebody comes in and says they’re breathless, I say, think back: Could you do that earlier this summer or last summer, and now you can’t?” Hayes said.
Why It Matters
Exercise intolerance is a common early symptom in patients with coronary artery disease, researchers note.
Narrowed arteries mean the heart receives less oxygen-rich blood, especially when it’s working hard during exercise.
Feeling breathless or fatigue out of proportion to the activity could indicate a blockage that’s not severe enough to cause chest pain yet, heart surgeon Dr. Jeremy London previously told TODAY.com about six heart symptoms he never ignores.
How to Get Started
If you notice changes in your ability to exercise, tell your doctor. It may be time for a cardiac evaluation.
Tests to check your heart may include an electrocardiogram, or EKG, to record your heart's electrical activity; a stress test to see how your heart works during exercise; or a cardiac MRI or CT scan to generate images of your heart and show problems, according to the National Library of Medicine.
If you are 40 to 75 years old and don’t have any heart problems, you can use screening tools and risk calculators to check how likely it is that you’ll develop heart disease in the future.
TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.
