Heart disease often develops gradually, with warning signs remaining unnoticed until a person experiences chest pain, breathlessness or a heart attack. With cardiovascular disease increasingly affecting younger people in India, doctors are stressing that early diagnosis should be treated as an important part of prevention. Cardiologist Dr Vijay D’Silva, Medical Director of White Lotus International Hospital and Clinical Advisor and Mentor at Heartnet India, said routine screening could help identify cardiac risks before they become life-threatening emergencies.

According to the World Health Organisation, many cases of early cardiovascular disease can be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Dr D’Silva said the electrocardiogram, or ECG, remains one of the simplest and most widely available tools for cardiac assessment, despite being underused in preventive healthcare. He emphasised that waiting until symptoms appear can allow an underlying condition to progress unnoticed for years.

Heart-related problems may include abnormal rhythms, silent ischemia and electrical disturbances that exist long before a person feels unwell. Dr D’Silva noted that many patients consider themselves healthy until they suddenly require hospitalisation for an established cardiac condition. When diagnosis is delayed, treatment can become more complicated, expensive and emotionally stressful compared with cases identified earlier through appropriate screening and follow-up care.

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An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart and can be completed within a few minutes. It may reveal irregular heart rhythms, signs of earlier silent damage to the heart muscle and problems with the conduction of electrical signals. Although an ECG cannot detect every type of heart disease on its own, it can provide an early indication that further tests or specialist evaluation may be required before symptoms become severe.

The doctor said screening should not be based only on age or the presence of obvious symptoms. People with high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of premature heart disease, smoking habits, obesity or abnormal cholesterol levels may require earlier assessment. Professionals facing prolonged stress and long working hours, as well as individuals experiencing unexplained fatigue or breathlessness, should also be evaluated according to their overall risk profile.

Advances in portable ECG devices and digital healthcare tools are making cardiac screening more accessible beyond major hospitals. Primary healthcare centres and neighbourhood doctors can conduct first-line assessments and transmit reports to specialists when necessary, helping reduce delays in diagnosis, particularly in areas where access to cardiologists is limited. Experts believe ECG checks should become part of routine preventive healthcare, alongside blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol testing, rather than being used only during emergencies. For people at risk, regular monitoring and medical guidance can help identify problems sooner and improve long-term cardiac outcomes.

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