Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and Nigeria is no exception. Yet, many of us walk around with early warning signs, dismissing them, normalizing them, until one day, the whisper becomes a shout.

Your heart doesn’t fail without warning, it sends clues.

The tragedy is that we often miss them.

Knowledge is the first step to prevention. In this post, we explore five heart symptoms many ignore every day, and what they could mean for your health.

Shortness of Breath during Normal Activities

You’re climbing the stairs to your office or apartment, and you’re gasping for air.

You’re walking to the bus stop, and your chest feels tight.

You’re talking on the phone, and you run out of breath mid-sentence. All these are symptoms we often neglect and when we get relief after some period of time, we tell ourselves: “I’m just out of shape.”, “It’s just the heat.” or “I need to exercise more.”

Shortness of breath is medically known as dyspnea and can be an early sign of heart failure or coronary artery disease.

It happens when your heart struggles to pump blood efficiently, and fluid builds up in your lungs, making every breath feel like hard work.

People with undiagnosed high blood pressure, those with a family history of heart disease, individuals who are overweight or obese and smokers are often at risk of this disease.

If you find yourself breathless after activities that used to be easy, like walking a short distance or climbing one flight of stairs, it’s time to pay attention.

Don’t dismiss breathlessness as “fitness issues”, a simple ECG or echocardiogram can tell you how well your heart is pumping.

Jaw, Neck, or Shoulder Pain (With No Obvious Cause)

Have you ever felt:

A dull ache in your jaw that comes and goes.

A strange discomfort in your left shoulder that isn’t related to lifting anything heavy.

A tightness in your neck that won’t go away.

These pains are often missed sign of a heart problem, particularly in women.

During a heart attack, pain signals from the heart can travel to areas like the jaw, neck, shoulders, and even the back. This happens because the nerves that carry pain from the heart also serve these other areas. The brain gets confused and interprets the signal as coming from somewhere else.

Never ignore unexplained upper body discomfort, especially if it’s accompanied by other symptoms like sweating or nausea.

Swollen Feet, Ankles, or Legs (Edema)

While mild swelling can happen from standing or heat, persistent swelling especially in both legs, can signal that your heart is struggling to pump blood effectively.

When the heart weakens, blood backs up in the veins, and fluid leaks into surrounding tissues. This is called peripheral edema, and it’s a common sign of heart failure.

Swollen legs aren’t normal, even if they don’t hurt.

Extreme or Unexplained Fatigue

Overwhelming fatigue is one of the most overlooked heart symptoms, especially in women. When your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s demands, your muscles and organs are starved of oxygen. The result? Deep, persistent exhaustion.

You get exhausted after a full night’s sleep. Simple tasks like making breakfast, taking a shower, feels draining. You have no energy for things you used to enjoy. This symptom is particularly common in the weeks or months leading up to a heart attack.

If rest doesn’t restore you, your heart may be crying for help. Get check.

Heart Palpitations or Irregular Heartbeat

Occasional palpitations can be harmless, triggered by caffeine, stress, or lack of sleep. But frequent or prolonged episodes may signal an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).

The most common type is atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke fivefold. In atrial fibrillation, blood pools in the heart’s upper chambers, forming clots that can travel to the brain.

When to Worry:

· Palpitations that last longer than a few seconds

· Accompanied by dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting

· Family history of sudden cardiac death or arrhythmias

An ECG can capture your heart’s rhythm and tell you if those flutters are harmless or a warning.

Why Early Detection Matters

Heart disease is largely preventable and manageable, if caught early.

When you ignore symptoms, you allow conditions to progress:

· Mild hypertension becomes severe hypertension

· Early heart failure becomes advanced heart failure

· Occasional angina becomes a heart attack

 When you act early, you gain:

· Treatment options (more choices when caught early)

· Better outcomes (higher quality of life, longer life)

· Cost savings (prevention is always cheaper than crisis care)

What to Do If You Recognize These Symptoms

Step 1: Don’t Panic, but Don’t Delay

One symptom alone doesn’t mean you have heart disease. But a pattern of symptoms—especially with risk factors, warrants investigation.

Step 2: Book a Cardiac Screening/Health Check

At Afriglobal Medicare, we offer comprehensive cardiac assessments, including:

• Blood Pressure Check Hypertension
• ECG (Electrocardiogram) Heart rhythm, past heart attack
• Echocardiogram Heart structure and pumping function
• Lipid Profile Cholesterol levels
• Fasting Blood Sugar Diabetes / Pre-diabetes
• Stress test, how heart performs under exertion
• 24-Hour Holter Monitor Captures irregular rhythms over a full day

Step 3: Know Your Numbers

Memorize these five numbers:

• Blood pressure
• Blood sugar
• Cholesterol
• BMI
• Waist circumference

Step 4: Adopt Heart-Healthy Habits

• Drink more water
• Reduce salt and sugar
• Move your body daily
• Manage stress
• Quit smoking and limit alcohol

Nigerian Heart Health by the Numbers

Hypertension in Nigeria 1 in 3 Nigerian adults has high blood pressure.

Awareness Rate Only 30% of people with hypertension know they have it.

Control Rate Fewer than 10% have their BP under control.

Heart Attack Age Shift Increasingly seen in Nigerians aged 30–50.

Stroke Risk Hypertension is the #1 cause of stroke in Nigeria

Source: Nigerian Heart Foundation/WHO

Your Heart Deserves Attention

Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, pumping blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels. It never rests. It never takes a day off, the least you can do is listen to it.

Those “small” symptoms, the breathlessness, the fatigue, the fluttering, the swelling, the strange pains, are not just part of life. They are your body communicating with you.

This Heart Awareness Month, make a commitment:

Pay attention. Act early. Know your numbers.

Afriglobal Medicare is here to help you listen to your heart, with precision and clarity.

📞 Call us: 08109702728, 02016291000, 02016290998

📱 WhatsApp: 09022891059

🌐 Website: www.afriglobalmedicare.com