Cardiologist Dr Vijay D’Silva says ECG screening-heart disease connection is real missing early heart checks costs lives

The heart doesn’t often give up in a single night. Usually the trouble quietly accumulates for many years, hiding behind other illnesses, until suddenly it presents itself in a form we recognise as chest pain or a heart attack. In India, where the proportion of CVD among the younger generation is increasing year by year, early diagnosis has acquired equal importance as cardiac prevention.

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust. Career journey and experience Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon. From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?” Subject expertise With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions. In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context. Education and professional background Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first. Editorial Philosophy I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

According to the World Health Organisation, the majority of early cardiovascular disease can be prevented by managing modifiable risks of elevated blood pressure, smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity. “There are multiple prevention tools. Of all the tools available to clinicians, none is more straightforward or more widely available than the ECG” Dr Vijay D’Silva, Medical Director, White Lotus International Hospital, and Clinical Advisor & Mentor, Heartnet India tells Health Shots . Yet, it remains one of the most underutilised elements of preventative health care.

Heart disease develops silently. Rhythm problems, asymptomatic ischemia, and preclinical electrical disturbances may all exist long before the patient first begins to feel indisposed.

“Moreover, many patients recognise that they are completely in good health until they suddenly require hospital admission for an established cardiac disease.