Heart Beat: Pay attention to shortness of breath
Heart Beat
Pay attention to shortness of breath
Chest pain is a near-universal signal of heart disease. Shortness of breath may be an equally valuable tip-off.
Since 1991, doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have asked almost 18,000 men and women who were about to undergo an exercise stress test "Do you experience shortness of breath?" Those answering "yes" were more likely to die of heart-related problems in the next few years than those with either typical chest pain or no heart-related symptoms (see graph).
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