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by John S. Hollowell, M.D., F.A.C.C.
If you associate heart disease with growing old, think again. Although its direct impact—death or disability—may be felt most frequently by those around the half-century mark, increasingly, heart disease is becoming a health issue that needs to be addressed at about the same time you first exercise your right to vote.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), about one in four adults aged 18 or over have at least two risk factors for cardiovascular disease—most likely high blood pressure and high cholesterol. That’s why the AHA recommends that beginning at age 20, you ask your doctor to do an assessment of you cardiovascular risk.
The important risk factors that can be controlled or treated include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, being overweight or obese and physical inactivity.
When men hit 40 and women hit 45, your vigilance should increase particularly if you have a family history of heart disease, lead a lifestyle that is not as healthy as it should be or have a waistline over 40 inches for a man or 35 inches for a woman. If you haven’t been monitoring your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers up until now, it’s definitely time to pick up the phone and schedule a visit with your doctor.
It won’t be painful. You’ll have your height, weight and blood pressure checked and you’ll be asked about your health and your family’s health history. After a brief examination, your doctor may order a few simple blood tests to determine your cholesterol level and, if he or she suspects diabetes, your glucose level.
If the blood pressure check or the blood tests show your heart health at risk, the doctor will probably suggest a few lifestyle changes. That means pushing back from the table a little sooner and getting 30 minutes worth of aerobic exercise more days than not. If that doesn’t work, he may write a prescription to help you manage your cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
In some cases, however, if your doctor feels your risk factors are significant—even if you have no symptoms—you may be referred to a cardiologist for a more thorough evaluation. If that happens, it’s still not time to panic.
Cardiologists have an array of non-invasive tests and procedures at their fingertips that they didn’t have even 10 years ago to help them pinpoint problems and act on them quickly, well in advance of any cardiac incident.
A coronary calcium scoring test is one of the newer tools cardiologists have for assessing your risk of a heart attack. Studies have shown that coronary calcium scores directly correlate with the risks of heart attack, even if your other risk factors—family history, age, cholesterol levels, diabetes, smoking and obesity—are low.
Although calcium doesn’t cause a heart attack, even in otherwise healthy people, a higher coronary calcium score signals that plaque is present and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries has begun. Left untreated, the arteries will gradually narrow, restricting the flow of blood and increasing your risk of heart attack.
In fact, in a study published last December, it was reported that about five percent of women considered at low risk for heart disease still face potential cardiovascular problems because of calcium buildup in their arteries.
Nearly half of all heart attacks occur in people younger than 65 and more than a third of all Americans who have a heart attack show no symptoms beforehand. It’s estimated that some 85 percent of sudden heart attacks could be prevented if the conditions that led to the attack are diagnosed early enough to prescribe treatment. In other words, you can actually reverse the course of heart disease if you detect it early enough.
Early detection and treatment remain the best way to prevent heart disease and stroke, and with the diagnostic tests available today, you can discover if you are at risk. Armed with that knowledge you can work with your doctors to take the steps necessary to avoid the huge monetary and emotional costs of serious heart disease or stroke. |
