• Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

    You are young, happy, healthy, and don’t have a care in the world – so why should you even consider a cardiovascular risk assessment?

Because knowledge is power and you really want to know what your body is doing, so you can confirm that you are doing everything possible to have a healthy heart or to make some lifestyle changes to avoid a potential heart attack.

Verbal communication about family history and current habits in conjunction with some medical tests will be able to determine the chances of a person having a cardiac event and/or the severity of such an event. Why is this important? Because cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide and symptoms (mostly silent) begin long before you start to feel ill.

A full personal medical history is the first indicator of your risk for a cardiac event. A health care provider will ask your age and whether or not you smoke. Also, your weight and blood pressure numbers will be recorded. Additionally, you will be asked about your family medical history, your current dietary plan, and your level of physical activity. An electrocardiogram (EKG) and a stress test are two non-invasive tests that also help doctors determine how healthy your heart is.

The lipid panel is a series of tests on your blood and this is a vital aspect to determining your risk of a cardiac event.  Not only will the results of the lipid profile help to determine your risk; but it also helps to determine the best course of treatment – if required.

Depending on your overall results of your total cardiac risk assessment – some lifestyle changes maybe recommended and/or medications may be prescribed.

It is recommended that individuals between the ages of 21 and 80, who are free of heart disease, to conduct a cardiac risk assessment every 5 years.  Risk varies between gender and race.  For instance, individuals with the same risk factors for a heart attack – such as elevated blood pressure may have a different result for their total risk assessment based on their race and/or sex.

We are here to help and to work with you in assessing your risk for a cardiac event.  Benefits of lifestyle changes can be discussed as well as various treatment options – if necessary – to help reduce the risk of developing a heart condition.  Don’t wait until it is too late – please “love your heart” and call our office today to schedule an appointment.