You need to get your heart checked to know about your heart health and understand your risk of heart attack or stroke. A few tests can help you remain up to date on the status of your heart health to lower this risk and stay fit. Read on…
Do you know? A staggering 17.9 million people globally died in 2019 because of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which accounted for 32% of all deaths worldwide! This gigantic statistic is enough to scare anyone for their heart health. Well, there are certain things you can do to lower your risk factors and maintain your heart healthy. But how would you do that until you know whether you are at risk? There’s a simple way for that. You can go for a heart health checkup to ascertain the status of your cardiac health and determine if you need to take any measures to control the risk. Read on to find out more about these heart checkups.
What Does A Heart Checkup Include?
Choose a health checkup consisting of multiple tests that evaluate different aspects of your cardiac health. Some of the most important tests generally involved in a heart health checkup are:
Checking Pulse
The first simple test measures your pulse, which is an important part of your heart health checks. It checks the number of heartbeats per minute to assess if your pulse is regular or not and evaluates the strength of the pulse. Your doctor or nurse can measure your pulse, or you can measure it yourself.
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is an important indicator that can be taken by your nurse or doctor. Or you can check it yourself at home. It’s measured as two readings:
- systolic pressure (higher reading).
- diastolic pressure (lower reading).
Lipid Profile Test
A lipid profile test, also called a lipid panel, measures the amount of total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are essential for ascertaining the risks of heart attacks and other cardiac problems.
Related Post: Optimum Cholesterol Levels and How To Manage Cholesterol
High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (HS-CRP)
A higher-than-normal C-Reactive protein number is associated with heart blockage, stroke, and heart failure. This test can ascertain the level of this protein for evaluating the risks of developing cardiac issues even before symptoms appear.
Electrolytes Serum
Electrolytes serum present in your blood helps regulate the electrical impulses in your heart. This test determines the balance of electrolytes in your body, helping the doctor ascertain your cardiac health status.
Stress test
This stress test – also called a treadmill test or exercise tolerance test (ETT) – is like an ECG. But it records the activity of your heart as it works harder, for example, while you’re walking on a treadmill. This “exercise” ECG tells how your heart responds to exercise.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram – or in short, an “echo” – is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It creates an image of your heart to check:
- size of your heart,
- is the heart muscle contracting and relaxing efficiently, and
- Are the valves working efficiently?
Echocardiogram is painless that is performed in a hospital or in an outpatient clinic.
Electrocardiogram
An electrocardiogram (called ECG) is a test that records the electrical impulses of the heart. It shows what’s happening in different areas of the heart and helps find out any problems with the rate or rhythm of your heart. The ECG is a painless procedure and takes roughly 5-10 minutes to perform.
More popular heart health checkups also include additional tests such as blood glucose tests and a complete blood count (CBC). For example, a complete blood count (CBC) can help ascertain your heart health efficiency.
Related Post: Five Heart Numbers You Must Know And Track
Why Is a Routine Heart Checkup Necessary?
Many cardiac issues and risk factors can go undetected if you don’t get regular heart checkups done. These checkups are a necessary part of preventive healthcare and help you stay updated with your heart health status. Moreover, they help your doctor detect any impending health problems before they get a chance to progress to something serious.
Who Should Get A Heart Checkup?
Everyone should get routine heart checkups to stay on top of their cardiac health and avoid any problems from occurring. Your doctor may suggest more frequent tests if you smoke, are obese, suffer from a heart condition, diabetes, or prediabetic, or have a family history of heart disease or other health issues.
Signs That Indicate The Need For A Heart Checkup
Some of the most common signs indicating the presence of a heart condition include:
- Chest tightness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Numbness in limbs
- Swollen ankles, legs, and feet
- Pale lips
- A feeling of discomfort in the body
Source: American Heart Association
About Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is ISSA Certified Elite Trainer. He
passed Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach course & Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, USA obtaining + 97% marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says: “For me, age is just a number!”
