The five overlooked signs something could be wrong with your heart – as Max George faces surgery

WHEN it comes to symptoms of heart issues, chest pain is the first one many of us will think of – but it doesn’t always occur in people with heart disease.

Here we reveal five overlooked symptoms that may signal trouble with your ticker after The Wanted’s Max George shared how he now faces surgery for “issues with [his] heart”.

3

3

The singer, 36, was recently rushed to hospital after feeling “really unwell”.

Tests revealed Max was suffering from heart trouble, which he said was a “huge shock”.

“I have a lot more tests to determine the extent of the problems and what surgery I will need to get me back on my feet,” Max revealed in a post uploaded to his Instagram yesterday.

The singer now expects to spend Christmas “in a hospital bed”.

But despite the “setback”, he counts himself “very lucky that this was caught when it was”.

It comes just two years after his Wanted bandmate Tom Parker died of brain cancer, aged just 33.

While chest pain is an obvious symptom of heart trouble, aches and pains can also manifest in you shoulders, arms or even your jaw.

Symptoms of heart disease may even crop up in your feet, according to Dr Randall Zusman, a cardiologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Writing for Harvard Health, he said: “Any symptom that seems to be provoked by exertion and relieved by rest could be heart-related.

“Particularly in people with underlying risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, tobacco use, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and a strong family history of heart disease, other symptoms besides chest pain may be the clue to a heart problem.”

Here are five unexpected heart-related symptoms to speak to your doctor about if you experience them.

1. Fatigue

Feeling tired isn’t something that should ring alarm bells immediately.

It can be explained away to sleeplessness, certain medications and even some other illnesses.

But a constant, new fatigue also can sometimes signal heart failure – when the heart is unable to pump blood properly – or coronary artery disease, when the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits, blocking your heart’s supply of blood.

3

“It’s less common as an indication of coronary artery disease, but it can be,” Dr Zusman said.

2. Unexplained aches and pains

Strange aches and pain that don’t necessarily occur in your chest could be another sign of heart issues.

According to Dr Zusman, the blockage of the blood supply to the heart from coronary artery disease leads it to “cry out in pain”, as it’s having to work harder.

These pain signals can crop up in the shoulders, arms, back, jaw, or abdomen.

If you’re getting pain in these areas during exercise but it fades with rest, this could be a sign of heart disease.

3. Shortness of breath

If we’ve neglected going to the gym, it’s not uncommon to get winded from doing physical activity.

But your huffing and puffing might not simply be caused by being out of shape.

If you’re getting short of breath from small bits of activity, this should ring some alarm bells, according to Dr Zusman.

He explained: “If you climb up five flights of stairs, I expect you to be short of breath.

“But if you go up 10 stairs and you’re short of breath, that may indicate a heart problem.”

4. Swollen feet and ankles

Are you waking up with swelling in your legs, ankles or feet?

This is caused by a buildup of fluid called oedema and it could be a sign of heart failure.

If the pressing a finger into the swollen areas leaves an indentation, then this is a sign of oedema.

The symptom can also be caused by other conditions, like kidney or liver disease, venous insufficiency – weak leg veins – or be a side effect of some drugs.

5. Heart palpitations

When heart palpitations occur, you might become more aware of your heartbeat and feel it in your chest, neck or throat.

It may feel like it’s racing, pounding or fluttering.

Skipped or extra beats are also a sign of palpitations.

They can last seconds, minutes or longer.

Strenuous exercise, lack of sleep, stress and alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can all have this effect.

But sometimes palpitations can indicate a heart problem.

It’s important to note how your palpitations feel, how often they happen, and what you’re doing when you experience them.

For example, if you’re resting watching TV and your heart suddenly starts beating irregularly or quickly, this could give you cause for concern.