The body warns you ahead of time of an impending heart attack>> - Dr. Snehil Goswami

MMI Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Raipur

Raipur////Most people can only recognize the start of a heart attack too late, when it is alreadyhappening. But, in fact, our bodies give us warning signs long before it strikes, daysor even months in advance. These are referred to as prodromal symptoms.

Symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness during physical activity, or an irregular orfast heartbeat often show up as a warning that a heart attack may occur in the future.Recognizing them can help avoid major damage to the heart and reduce adverseconsequences significantly.What's Quietly Wearing Your Heart DownHypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a sedentary lifestyle are the primecauses of narrowing of arteries, the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heartand then send it away. Smoking damages the blood vessels and makes the bloodvessels prone to blood clots, which narrows them further or occludes them totally.Today, unfortunately, this problem is becoming more common among young and mid-age people. Approximately, one in four to one in five people in India under40 get heart attacks in India, and about half occur before age 50, according to areport in Medical Dialogues (November 10, 2025). Besides, several expert reportsfiled between 2023 and 2026 estimate 25% of all heart attacks in India happen inpeople below 40.Six Signals Your Heart Sends First

The most common prodromal symptom is chest pain or discomfort. This happenswhen the heart does not receive an adequate supply of blood. Although thissymptom often manifests itself as a dull ache behind thesternum (the breastbone,which is a long, flat bone in the middle of the chest that connects to the ribs) , sharppain also indicates a dangerous situation. In addition to pain, many heart patientsnote that their legs or feet have begun to swell. This is a sign of fluid retention in thetissues, which is caused by heart failure. Another symptom is a cough that occurssuddenly and is accompanied by sputum: a distinctive sign of pulmonary edema.Heart palpitations are also an alarming symptom, since they can be a sign of anarrhythmia. Breathing becomes more difficult as the heart is not able to deliverenough oxygen to the cells. Unpredictable and unexpected fatigue without anyapparent reason indicates that the body is failing to get the amount of oxygenneeded. These symptoms need to be discussed with a doctor.Simple tests will demonstrate the state of your heart

There are several simple tests to find out if you might be in danger. For example, ablood pressure check. It is also best to exclude coffee, cigarettes, and stressfulsituations from the daily routine. Normal blood pressure is 110-130 / 7090 mm Hg.

During an ECG, electrodes are placed on the skin to record the electricalactivity ofthe heart. It will show if there is any deviation in the heartbeat, for example, if there is an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Monitoring the body mass indexallowsassessing how much additional load the heart has to work with due to excess weight.A biochemical blood test will show the levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in theblood, which are a predictor of atherosclerosis.

Small Habits, Up to 80% Less RiskA Mediterranean or DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet,combined with 1.5 hours of light-to-moderate, age-appropriate exercise per week,6–8 hours of sleep, lower stress levels, and freedom from addictions, can cut the risk of atherosclerosis by nearly half. All this is entirely within reach of any person toreduce the risk of a heart attack.