A London cardiologist has shared the “six-month” question she routinely uses to help assess whether a patient’s symptoms could point to a heart problem. Dr Nabila Laskar, a consultant cardiologist and specialist doctor in cardiac imaging at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, offers health education to more than 13,000 followers on Instagram through her account @Thecardiologydoctors.
In a recent video, Dr Laskar revealed the phrase she finds most concerning when it comes up during clinic appointments. She said patients often mention changes in their health but dismiss them as simply being part of getting older. While ageing can bring some changes, she warned that symptoms people brush off may sometimes be signs of underlying heart disease.
Dr Laskar encouraged anyone noticing these changes to seek medical advice rather than delay. Highlighting three key warning signs, she said: “Many people attribute breathlessness, reduced exercise tolerance or chest discomfort to ageing, but sometimes this is a sign of heart disease.
“I always ask my patients to compare their activity levels to six months ago. If things have changed drastically, it is rarely due to ageing and seeking advice from a healthcare professional should be prioritised…not postponed.” Anyone experiencing other symptoms or worrying changes in their health should also contact a doctor.
The NHS says coronary heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Common symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint, nausea, and pain spreading to the neck, shoulders, jaw or arms. However, symptoms can vary from person to person, and some people may have no obvious warning signs before they are diagnosed.
The NHS explains: “Coronary heart disease cannot be cured but treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the chances of problems such as heart attacks. Treatment can include: lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and stopping smoking, medicines, angioplasty – where balloons and stents are used to treat narrow heart arteries, and surgery.”
There are several ways to lower the risk of coronary heart disease, including staying physically active, keeping blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels under control, and following a healthy, balanced diet. Supporting heart health can also bring wider benefits, including a lower risk of stroke and dementia.
In an earlier Instagram video, Dr Laskar also discussed why healthy blood pressure matters. She said: “Today we’re going to talk about a silent killer. Now there are many silent killers. To be honest, stress is probably one of the most important silent killers, but I’m going to be focusing on uncontrolled blood pressure because many of my patients say, ‘If I can’t feel it, why should I treat it?’ And that is a good question.”
She continued: “I scanned someone a couple of weeks ago who was just in their early forties who had just been diagnosed with high blood pressure. And when I scanned them, the wall thickness of their left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of their heart, was significantly thickened.
“And that means this person has had high blood pressure for a very long time that hasn’t been treated. Now, if we left this patient without any treatment, they would eventually end up in heart failure. So high blood pressure, although you can’t feel it, is actually very important.”
