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Early detection is essential to managing or even preventing heart disease.
Don’t wait until you have a life-threatening issue. Preventive care is the best medicine. Screenings and regular check-ups can identify your risk for heart disease, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, and other silent and deadly conditions.
Regular heart screening should begin at age 20. If you have two or more cardiac risk factors, you should consider having a heart checkup today.
What are heart disease risk factors?
Some heart disease risk factors cannot be changed. If you’re a male over the age of 45, a female over the age of 55, or you have a family history of stroke, heart, or vascular disease—you are at higher risk for heart disease, and you should consider getting regular heart screenings.
Fortunately, there are also heart disease risk factors that can be modified, treated, and controlled:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High cholesterol
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Stress
- Alcohol
- Diet and nutrition
What are the benefits of heart screening?
Once you have a clearer understanding of your risk of heart disease, you can identify areas for improvement and work towards preventing complications. Lifestyle changes may be sufficient, but medicine or procedures may be necessary to improve your quality of life.
Heart screening tests have 3 phases:
- Risk category assignment – What are your risk factors for heart disease?
- Early disease assessment – Do you exhibit any of the early warning signs or symptoms of heart disease?
- Modifiable disease contributor assessment – Which of your risk factors can be improved with lifestyle changes?
The extensiveness and cost of the heart screening are based on your risk assessment. Some tests are unnecessary for low-risk individuals, but may be essential for high-risk categories.
Key screening tests recommended for heart health
Aside from regular heart screenings, there are several other regular screenings that can help you narrow your level of risk:
- High blood pressure (hypertension) increases the chance of heart disease and stroke. If your blood pressure is above 120/80mm Hg, you may need to see a specialist.
- Fasting Lipoprotein Profile (cholesterol) levels should be taken every four to six years. This test measures your total cholesterol, LDL (bad), HDL (good) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
- Body weight can be assessed by calculating your body mass index (BMI) during a routine visit. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more.
- Blood glucose levels should be checked at least once every three years starting at the age of 45. High blood glucose levels can cause heart disease and stroke.
- C-reactive protein is an inflammatory marker associated with the risk of atherosclerotic events.
What does heart screening look for?
We take an active approach to heart screening, and look into every possible risk factor. We detect:
- Heart Murmurs
- Arrhythmia
- Atrial Fibrillation
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Sleep Apnea
- Stroke
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
- Sudden Death Syndrome
- Glucose levels
The results of these heart checkups guide us the information we need to formulate a treatment plan specific to you and your heart health. Don’t wait to prevent heart disease. Book an appointment with Cardiology Associates of Frederick today.