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NEW YORK - If you are not at the peak of your health, your doctor may be suggesting a screening test or two to make sure your cardiovascular health is in tip top shape.

But if a person lacks symptoms - like chest pain or shortness of breath - they might want to hit pause for a second and look closer at the costs and benefits.

The fact is, there is no good evidence that any of the common tests are that helpful if a person is symptom-free.

"If you do a test like a stress test in someone who doesn't have any symptoms, then you are more likely to get a false-positive test than a true positive," said Dr. Malissa Wood, a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

Such false alarms trigger more unnecessary tests, which often carry significant risks.

"We really want to go based on symptoms," Wood said.

The government-backed US Preventive Services Task Force also advises against routine screening for heart disease for people at low risk.

Even for those at higher risk - like smokers, diabetics and the obese - there is insufficient evidence to support routine screening, according to the USPSTF, which bases all of its advice on rigorous science.

Still, groups with ties to drug and heart device makers often recommend the tests routinely, and several companies promote them, to the chagrin of experts in the field.

"There are no 'heart tests' that any asymptomatic man or woman should get," said Dr. Patrick O'Malley, an internist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. "There are many that are done which they shouldn't get."

Here's a brief guide to the common heart tests:

Test 1: ECG (EKG)

What is it?

An electrocardiogram, or ECG, is simply a readout of your heart's electrical activity recorded by electrodes placed on the chest.

It can pick up abnormalities that might, or might not, signal heart disease in the making.

Does it work?

ECGs are used to study irregular heart rhythms, heart attacks and other problems. They're also used before some types of surgery, but no trials have looked at whether ECGs help stave off disease in people without symptoms.

What's the harm?

An ECG typically costs about US$50 (S$63). Because it's not invasive, the test itself is safe.

What someone should worry about is what happens if the results look abnormal.

A patient might end up with another test that carries more risks, like a CT scan or a coronary angiogram, during which a catheter is threaded into the heart.

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