A BOURNEMOUTH consultant has urged people to stop ignoring symptoms of heart disease after a new study suggests the vast majority of people have an older "heart age" than their actual age.

Dr Suneel Talwar, at the private Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, issued advice as the country marks World Heart Day today.

It comes after an online test which calculates a person's risk of having a heart attack or stroke reveals that almost four in five people over the age of 30 have a heart which is deemed to be older than their chronological age.

This means they are at a higher risk of potentially fatal heart attack or stroke.

The new study, published in the journal BMJ Open, examined data from 575,000 people who used the online tool on the NHS Choices website.

Two-fifths of women under 40 had a heart older than they actually were compared to 87 per cent of men the same age, according to the research, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

It also found that many people were unaware about their own cardiovascular risk factors - almost half did not know their blood pressure and three-quarters were unaware what their cholesterol levels were.

Those who used the online tool who do not know their blood pressure or cholesterol levels can still be given an estimate for their "heart age", but they are encouraged to find out their measurements.

Public Health England, the BHF and NHS Choices are encouraging people to use the tool to check their "heart age" and find out their cardiovascular risk.

Dr Talwar said smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise and a family history of coronary heart disease all contribute to increasing your risk of the disease and it is essential to have a balanced diet and exercise.

He added: “Seek advice from your GP or a cardiologist if you develop symptoms of chest discomfort of breathlessness particularly on exertion.”

Stephen Payne, 63, from Southbourne, who runs on a regular basis began presenting with symptoms around Christmas last year.

He said: “It was getting more and more difficult to run until I got to the point in February 2016 where I thought I can’t ignore this anymore, I must do something about this and went to see my GP.”

He underwent a cardiac CT scan at the Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital before a stent was fitted and urged everyone to be more heart aware because now he is back running again – even completing the New Forest 10k in September.

Dr Mike Knapton, BHF associate medical director, added: "Knowing your heart age is vital to taking control of your health.

"Armed with this knowledge you can start to make changes to help protect yourself against cruel and life-changing events such as heart attack and stroke.

"The younger you start making small but significant changes, the greater the return on your investment in your health.

"Research has shown that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, poor diet and a lack of exercise, as well as a lack of investing in your future health and fitness all contribute to increasing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.”

People can find out their "heart age" by visiting bhf.org.uk/heartage or the NHS Health Check website.