How your SOCKS can help you spot symptom of silent killer
IF your socks are looking a little bit tight around your ankles, it's usually because they have shrunk in the wash.
Your feet may also be swollen from the heat, but medics have warned that swelling could also be down to a silent killer.
Heart disease is one of the biggest causes of death in the UK - accounting for close to a quarter each year.
That's around one death every three minutes and it's estimated that over 7.6 million people are living with a heart or circulatory disease.
A lot of the time, there are no obvious signs or symptoms of the illness - with it going undetected in many people.
Peripheral oedema could be one of the key markers that is easy to spot.
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It's a condition whereby sufferers will have water retention in their feet and legs.
As these parts swell, you might see your socks tighten.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Clinical Director of previously explained that the condition is a well known sign of heart failure.
She explained: "This means the heart is weakened and can’t pump blood as efficiently as it should round the body.
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"As a result, fluid can build up and one of the first places this happens is in your ankles.
"Heart failure can happen as a result of a heart attack (don’t forget that some people can have a heart attack without realising it).
"It can also mean that your heart is weakened and that you are at higher risk of having a heart attack in future, even if you haven’t had one."
Dr Sarah added that heart failure can also lead to fluid building up in the lungs.
"The early signs of this include breathlessness when you exercise and feeling breathless when you lie flat.
"So if you ever go to your doctor complaining of shortness of breath and they ask you how many pillows you sleep on, that’s why."
LOOK AFTER YOUR TROTTERS
Medics also said that looking after your feet in general is key if you're at risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol is the fatty substance that is carried in the blood by proteins.
High levels of cholesterol can build up in the artery walls and reduce blood flow to the heart.
It's key to know the signs of the illness, and experts say that one place you should keep an eye on is your feet.
When your blood flow becomes strained when you have peripheral arterial disease, it often concentrates in the feet, gurus at the (BHF) explained.
"When the blood flow becomes worse, the body can’t deliver enough blood, nutrients and oxygen to the skin and soft tissues.
"This usually occurs in the feet, as they are furthest from the heart."
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The three signs you might experience in your feet include persistent pain, ulcers or lesions that won't heal over a long period of time and gangrene.
However, medics state that there aren't usually any typical signs you have high cholesterol which is why it's so important to get it checked out.
