12 Signs & Symptoms Of Heart Disease You Can Check Yourself

Dr. Siobhan Deshauer shows us what to watch out for:

Signs & Symptoms

A heart attack doesn’t have to be the first you know about it!

She says 13 signs, but we only counted 12, unless we count each named presentation of aortic regurgitation and/or infective endocarditis separately, in which case, we’re now looking at 14–18, and in no reckoning were we able to make it add up to 13.

However, the information is more important than the numbers, so…

1. Frank’s sign: a diagonal crease running across the earlobe that could be a sign of vascular aging
2. Xanthelasma:  flat yellowish patches near the corners near the corners of the eyelids
3. Corneal arcus: a grayish-white circle around the iris (almost everyone will develop this as we get older, but if it shows up before the age of 45, that’s a red flag to make sure you get your lipid levels checked)
4. Amyloidosis: waxy, translucent, firm bumps that you’ll likely see around the eyes, ears, neck and/or tongue
5. Livido reticularis: a net-like pattern on the skin which is a sign of poor circulation
6. Aortic regurgitation: this shows up as visible pulsations, with a number of named variations shown in the video
7. Pitting edema: a visually distinct kind of swelling, usually found in the feet and ankles (test by pressing your fingertip firmly into a bony area of your lower leg, either your shin or your ankle, for about 5 to 15 seconds; if this leaves a visible indent on your skin, that’s pitting edema)
8. Shortness of breath: this one’s self-explanatory, but it can be a matter of pulmonary edema, and should be checked out, especially if it gets worse when lying down
9. Clubbing: not the nightclub kind, but rather, if you put the backs of your nails together, you should be able to see a triangle of light between them; if you can’t, that’s called digital clubbing, and is most often a sign of chronically low blood oxygen levels
10. Infective endocarditis: while this itself is a matter of bacteria or fungi in your bloodstream getting stock on your heart valves, you can see signs of it when chunks break off and ride your bloodstream until they get lodged in the pads of your fingers and toes, forming painful raised pumps or painless flat red or purple lesions, of which a couple of variations are shown in the video
11. Splinter hemorrhages: visible reddish brown streaks that look like wood splinters are actually tiny blood clots in the nail bed capillaries
12. Irregular pulse (AFib): if you check your pulse and it has a noticeable lack in regularity, that’s a very common form of cardiac arrhythmia (alternatively, you might rely on your smartwatch to check this for you, as most are programmed to do these days)

For more on these plus visual illustrations where applicable, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!