Heart Check Up: What to Expect During a Cardiovascular Screening

A heart check up is one of the best ways to ensure your cardiovascular system is functioning and detects any potential problems. Cardiovascular screening is a key part of heart maintenance, which helps identify risk factors for heart disease or other heart-related conditions. As Heart disease is one of the leading reasons of death in the world. Thus, it is crucial to find the underlying cause and find ultimate screening tests involved during a heart disease screening. However, let’s figure out in this blog what to do and what to expect during a cardiovascular screening.

What is Cardiovascular Screening?

A cardiovascular screening is a set of tests and evaluations performed for heart check up and detect any early signs before it’s too late. However, these are often recommended for individuals who have high risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease. Moreover, a cardiac screening is a heart check up that assesses the overall health of your heart that impacts your heart condition. Screening gives your doctor an idea of your risk for heart disease (cardiovascular disease).

Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally, with an estimated 17.9 million people dying from CVDs each year, accounting for 32% of all global deaths. These screenings are often recommended for individuals who have risk factors such as high blood pressure etc. Along with diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, or a family history of heart disease.

Signs you need a Heart Check up

During a heart check up, your doctor will look for any signs and symptoms and consider your risk for developing heart disease in the future. For instance, some risk factors include:

• High Blood Pressure
• High Blood Sugar
• Certain lifestyle habits like smoking or alcohol usage

Thus, if you develop signs and symptoms of heart disease, like

• chest pain or discomfort
• fluttering in your chest
• slow or racing heartbeat
• fatigue
• swelling in your feet or abdomen
• shortness of breath
• dizziness

However, if you notice signs like these, take crucial steps before it’s too late.

Common Tests During a Heart Check Up

When you go for a heart check up, you can expect to undergo several tests and evaluations. Here’s what typically happens during a cardiovascular screening:

Blood Pressure Measurement

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. Your doctor will check your blood pressure to ensure its within a healthy range. Nearly 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure, which contributes to over 400,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.

Blood Tests

Blood tests help assess cholesterol levels, glucose levels, and other markers that may indicate heart disease or diabetes. High levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) or low levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) increase the risk of cardiovascular problems.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

An ECG measures the electrical activity of your heart. The heart health check up can detect irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias), previous heart attacks, and other heart abnormalities. However, some study estimates that nearly 2% of people worldwide suffer from atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses sound waves to create images of the heart’s structure and function. It helps assess how well the heart is pumping blood and whether there are any issues with the heart valves or chambers. In addition, about 5 million people are living with heart failure, and echocardiograms play a crucial role in diagnosis blockages and management.

Stress Test

A stress test, often performed on a treadmill or stationary bike, measures how your heart responds to physical exertion. The heart check up helps identify signs of heart disease, such as blockages in the coronary arteries. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, exercise stress testing is effective in identifying heart disease and predicting long-term outcomes in patients.

CT scan or MRI

In some cases, a heart scan, such as a coronary artery calcium scan or cardiac MRI, may be recommended to get a more detailed view of your heart’s health insurance. Furthermore, a coronary artery calcium scores greater than 100 is associated with a higher risk of heart attacks, and these scans are useful in assessing the severity of coronary artery disease.