Are you heading for a heart attack?

The first symptom is often the last: death. Do this expert-devised* quiz to see if your ticker is a time bomb

How old are you?
a. 35 or under (0)
b. 36 to 50 (1)
c. 51 to 60 (2)
d. 61 or older (3)

Your risk of a fatal heart attack increases once there are more than 40 candles on your cake (and what are you doing eating cake, anyway?)

Do heart attacks run in your family?
a. Father died before 50 (10)
b. Father and grandfather died before 50 (15)
c. Yes (other) (5)
d. No (0)

Genetics are the greatest predictor of cardiac arrest. Check how many people are left to ask.

Do you smoke?
a. Yes (5)
b. No (0)

According to research by anti-smoking organisation Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), smokers are 10-16 times more likely to develop arterial disease.

What is your waist circumference?
a. Greater than 94 centimetres (2)
b. Less than 94cm (0)

Belly fat secretes hormones that raise blood pressure and cause inflammation.

Can you feel your pulse in your foot?
a. Yes (0)
b. No (2)

If your heart has trouble keeping your feet alive, then the rest of you is in trouble, too. Find the dorsalis pedis artery on the top of your foot, on the big-toe side.

Are your erections as hard as they were in your twenties?
a. Yes (0)
b. No (2)

If it’s not your foot, it’s your third leg: arteriosclerosis can impede blood flow and cause erectile dysfunction.

Rate the stress in your life
a. Very high (2)
b. Moderate (1)
c. Little to none (0)

According to a study at Harvard University, stress can ratchet up blood pressure and turn up the risk of clotting.

How often do you drink?
a. Three or more drinks every day (2)
b. Binge on weekends (2)
c. One or two drinks a day (-1)
d. Never (0)

Enjoying two alcoholic drinks a day cuts your risk of a heart disease by 25 per cent, according to Harvard researchers. Above that and your risk increases with each daily drink. Damn.

Do you snore?
a. Yep, sound like a chainsaw (0)
b. Yep, grunts followed by silence (2)
c. No (0)

Apnoea episodes (when you briefly stop breathing) can lead to a fatal heart attack. The most heart-friendly way of reducing the instance of apnoea is to lose weight.

Your results

0 to 10: LOW RISK
This doesn’t mean a get-out-of-jail-free card – studies suggest 50 per cent of all men will develop a cardiovascular condition at some point. But the odds are your pump and pipes won’t blow in the next 30 years if you maintain your current lifestyle.

11 to 20: MODERATE RISK
Although your immediate risk is low, your 20-year outlook isn’t as promising. Get a full lipid profile every year to keep tabs on your cardiovascular health, and start adjusting your lifestyle to support your heart.

21 to 30: HIGH-ALERT ZONE
Your genetic predisposition, lifestyle or physical condition suggest you could have a heart attack in the next 15 years. Talk to your doctor about advanced screening tests and adjust your lifestyle to support your heart.

31 or more: DANGER ZONE
You’re living on borrowed time. Immediate medical intervention and radical lifestyle changes are required to prevent a heart attack in the next five years. See your doctor to arrange advanced tests and for guidance. Not tomorrow – now.

* Quiz devised by Dr John A. Elefteriades, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Yale University; Dr Prediman Krishnan Shah, director of cardiology at the atherosclerosis research centre at Cedars-Sinai medical centre, Los Angeles; Dr Arthur Agatston, associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller school of medicine.