Keep Your Heart Healthy By Having Regular Cardiac Tests
The healthy lifestyle that we are supposed to live has taken a back seat. Our work does not leave us time to get involved in physical exercises. Today it hurts us with excessive heart problems, cancers, mental problems, diabetes, and various hormonal imbalances. Organizing and implementing a proper lifestyle can prevent the spread of disease. Therefore, having annual or monthly preventive tests is essential to increase the chances of treatment and recovery. How often you need help depends on your age and family history.
The key to preventing cardiovascular disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is controlling your risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar. But how do you know what risk factors you have? The best way to test this is to visit your doctor regularly. Regular cardiovascular exams are important as they will help you identify risk factors in the early stages.
Few of us have ideal risk levels for all screening tests. However, if your test results are not normal or positive, this does not mean that you are due to develop serious cardiovascular disease. Rather, it means that you can begin to make positive changes to your health. For many patients, the results of screening tests can act as a wake-up call. Most regular cardiovascular screenings should start in your 20s.
For optimal cardiovascular health - Screening tests
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is one of the significant tests because high blood pressure usually does not have any symptoms, so it cannot be detected without measurement. High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of heart diseases. If your blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg, be sure to check it at least once every two years, starting at age 20. If your blood pressure is high, your doctor may check it more often. High blood pressure can be controlled through medications or lifestyle changes. After 65 years, women have a higher risk of hypertension than men.
Fasting lipoprotein profile (cholesterol and triglycerides)
A fasting lipoprotein profile should be performed every four to six years, starting at age 20. It is a blood test that measures complete cholesterol level, HDL (good) cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides. If your healthcare professional determines that you are at risk for heart disease or stroke, you need to get tested more often. Older women have higher triglyceride levels than men.
Blood sugar
From the age of 45, you should check your blood sugar at least every three years. High blood sugar increases the risk of developing insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Untreated diabetes can lead to a number of serious health problems. If you're overweight and have at least one other cardiovascular risk factor, your doctor may recommend testing your blood glucose even if you are under 45 or more often than every 3 years.
At Harleypathlabs, we help you to keep yourself healthy by offering quality diagnostic services and annual check-ups, and more. We can answer your questions about heart health problems, warning signs, and treatment.
