Health expert shares everyday problem that could be a sign of a weak heart

A health expert says a problem in your everyday life could be a sign of heart disease or a circulatory problem.

The heart beats around 100,000 times a day and pumps roughly eight pints of blood around the body, helping our organs and muscles to work properly. But around 7.6 million people across the UK are living with heart or circulatory diseases.

And the symptoms can be worryingly hard to spot, reports The Telegraph. According to Prof Tony Heagerty, the head of the school of medical sciences at the University of Manchester, one seemingly innocuous problem could be a sign of something more serious.

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According to Heagerty, struggling to hold onto things, such as a door handle, tennis racket, or lawnmower could be a sign of a weak heart. He says this is because your heart could be struggling to send blood to the muscles.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: "Therefore your muscles are weakened and your grip strength is reduced.”

He says people could find themselves struggling to hold onto things normally or have difficulties with things like shopping bags or cartons of milk. While poor grip strength may be a symptom of a weak heart, Heagerty says you don’t need to instantly turn to your doctor.

However, if you also have other symptoms such as breathlessness or chest pain, he says you should seek medical attention. He says symptoms such as indigestion could be a sign of a heart problem.

"Sometimes people get chest pain and they think that it's indigestion when it's actually coming from the heart," Heagerty added.

He says indigestion typically occurs after a meal. While anyone suffering an indigestion-like pain after exercise should speak to their GP.

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Heagerty says angina and even swollen ankles can also be a symptom of a weak heart. Although, he says being overweight and varicose veins can also cause the ankles to swell.

According to academics from the Harvard Medical School , each 11lb decrease in grip strength resulted in a 17 percent increase in developing heart disease. It also led to a nine percent increase in risk of having a stroke.

While a study of 139,691 people found there was a link between decreasing grip strength and cardiovascular mortality. It concluded grip strength was a better predictor of death or cardiovascular disease than blood pressure.

Heagerty therefore says it is important to maintain a healthy heart. He says you can do this by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.

For more information about the heart and cardiovascular health, visit the NHS website.