Doctor explains heart disease symptoms it's 'imperative not to ignore'

People have been urged to look out for some key symptoms indicating you could have a heart condition, as it's vital to act early and seek medical help if needed.

Dr Vladimir Gubala, chief scientific officer and co-founder of PocDoc, says there are some "warning signs" to look out that indicate you should get a check up for your heart health.

He explained: "While not always related to a heart condition, some common symptoms include chest pain or discomfort, which can feel like pressure, tightness, or a squeezing sensation and shortness of breath, especially during physical activity or even while at rest.

"Dizziness or lightheadedness that occurs suddenly or after physical exertion, and unexplained fatigue, are also signs to watch out for."

He said some other things to look out for are swelling in the legs, ankles or feet, as well as a rapid or irregular heartbeat. He urged: "It’s imperative not to ignore these symptoms if they arise, and seek medical attention."

Heart disease can develop gradually over time and unfortunately in many cases, people only realise they have a problem when they have a major event such as a heart attack or stroke.

The NHS website advises that the most common symptoms of coronary heart disease are chest pain (angina) and breathlessness.

Symptoms of heart failure can include breathlessness, fatigue, swollen limbs and feeling lightheaded and numbness.

Fortunately, the help available to detect heart conditions is improving, with a range of at-home tests available, including PocDoc's Healthy Heart Check, a simple finger prick test that you can complete in 10 minutes.

Dr Gubala said the fact we can now detect heart conditions early on is a "game-changer in helping people identify these conditions and preventing serious problems".

The World Health Federation estimates that some 80% of cardiovascular deaths could be avoided through early screening for heart conditions.

In addition to the benefits for individual people's health, early detection of illnesses and conditions could make a big difference in easing the strain on the NHS.

The NHS estimates that each digital health check can save 20 minutes of NHS time, freeing up thousands of GP appointments and savings £27billion in costs over the next 10 years.

Welcoming the figures, Steve Roest, co-founder and CEO of PocDoc, said: "More importantly, this approach can save up to one million people annually from heart attacks and strokes."

He explained how tools like the PocDoc test can help people better monitor their health: "By providing patients and clinicians with the data they need about their heart check early-on, we are empowering them to take action and/or seek further care if needed.

"Rapid screening tools like ours have the potential to revolutionise our health system and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from these diseases."