Five early warning signs of heart disease you should not ignore

Heart disease rarely announces itself dramatically. More often it whispers.\n\n**1. Breathlessness on mild exertion.** If a flight of stairs now leaves you winded when it did not a year ago, that change matters more than the absolute level of fitness.\n\n**2. Unusual fatigue.** Particularly in women, profound tiredness without an obvious cause can precede a cardiac event by weeks.\n\n**3. Swelling in the ankles.** Fluid pooling in the lower legs can indicate that the heart is struggling to pump efficiently.\n\n**4. Palpitations that last.** An occasional skipped beat is normal. A racing or irregular rhythm that persists for minutes deserves an ECG.\n\n**5. Jaw, neck or back discomfort.** Cardiac pain does not always sit in the chest. Discomfort that appears with exertion and settles with rest is the pattern to watch.\n\nIf any of these sound familiar, a cardiology consultation and a simple ECG are inexpensive ways to buy peace of mind.