Importance of Preventive Heart Health Check-ups

Cardiac Sciences | Posted on 09/14/2023 by Dr. Amit Gupta

Introduction

We are living in an era where technology and advancement have taken a toll on human minds. We are so busy in our daily lives that giving importance to preventive heart health checkups is often overlooked. For some people, it is their work routine that doesn’t allow them to follow a healthy lifestyle, while some ignore it purposely even if they have time. No matter what the reason is, there is no way heart health checkups should be ignored. According to a survey, it is discovered that heart conditions are one of the health concerns that are rising worldwide at a rapid rate. 

The unhealthy lifestyle harmed us with various heart issues such as mental issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, hormonal imbalances, and whatnot. If you also ignore preventive heart health checkups, then make sure not to delay the arrangement and execution for it so that you can prevent the illnesses from spreading. With the regular adaption of modern lifestyle, it is becoming difficult for humans to understand the quote “prevention is better than cure”. We need to work on this and understand the significance behind this phrase. And we can do this only by prioritizing heart health checkups. 

In this blog, we will include a discussion on preventive heart health checkups and their benefits involving many other aspects. 

Please note the information discussed is entirely research-based and we do not in any way interrupt the doctor’s consultation. You can book your appointment with one of the best multispeciality hospitals in Jaipur, Rukmani Birla Hospital for the right diagnosis and treatment.

What are Preventive Heart Health checkups?

Preventive heart health checkups are clinical assessments having the goal of identifying and distinguishing any probable health problems initially. With these kinds of checkups, it becomes easier to detect and recognize the problem before it has reached its crucial phase even when we make sure to take precautions like a healthy diet, proper sleep, and exercise. We can not only identify and detect health problems, infections, and medical conditions but also get professional help on time before it's too late. So, if you want to prioritize your health, then make sure to go for regular preventing heart health checkups.

Who requires Preventive Heart Health checkups?

Preventive heart health checkups are usually recommended to individuals who fall under the working age group i.e. 35-65 years. These people are the most affected and targeted by lifestyle illnesses. As per global consensus, it is recommended that males above 35 and females above 40 must undergo annual heart health checkups. People who have a significant family history of a specific condition or disease, then they must begin screening tests ten years before to prevent the passing on of the diseases such as diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and breast, or colon cancer. 

What are the benefits of Preventive Heart Health checkups?

Here are some of the benefits offered by preventive heart health checkups to maintain good health: 

• Helps to detect diseases in its early phase 
• Assist in evaluating the risk of the disease
• Ensures active healthcare involvement 
• Motivate us to maintain a healthy lifestyle and increase longevity 
• After detecting diseases initially, managing them becomes easier
• Helps to keep up-to-date with current clinical data and technologies 
• Reduces medical expenses by diminishing abrupt and unexpected medical concerns 
• Eliminate probable fatalities that might be an outcome of delayed detection

What are the recommended tests for preventive heart health checkups?

Doctors recommend getting cardiac health checkups done from the age of 20 and in certain cases earlier regularly. When there is a detection of any related to cardiac health, then your doctor might order various other tests to find the cause and condition. Here are some of the recommended tests for preventive heart health checkups: 

• Routine screening tests: These involve checking blood pressure levels, cholesterol levels, blood glucose tests, and body mass index depending on the body weight or waist circumference. 

The following tests are recommended when your doctor suspects heart disease:

• Electrocardiography: This is a test that helps in recording the heart’s electrical activity and offers information that is linked to heart rate and rhythm. 
• Stress test: In this test, electrodes are applied to the patient; 's chest, and an ECG machine is attached. After that, to assess the heart response to physical stress, the doctor will ask the patient to run or walk on a treadmill.
• Echocardiography: In this test, the doctor might involve using the ultrasound machine to create the heart pictures. It assists the doctor in understanding if there is any problem with heart pumping function and assessing the heart valves. At times, it is performed before and after exercise or medication as it offers the idea about heart response to stress. 
• Cardiac CT scan for calcium snoring: The CT scanner is positioned with electrodes to the patient’s chest so that the electrical activity of a heart can be recorded. CT scanner is involved in producing the heart’s pictures and checking for plaque accumulation in the coronary arteries. 
• Coronary CT angiography: This test is similar to a cardiac CT scanner and is used for recording the heart’s electrical activity. The healthcare professional will involve injecting a contrast dye into the bloodstream so that it is easier to view plaque accumulation in coronary arteries. 
• Coronary catheter angiography: In this test, a contrast dye is injected into a groin or arm through the catheter and pictures of the heart are created which consents the healthcare professional to identify whether coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed.

What can you do to Prevent Heart Health conditions?

It is important to involve precautionary measures in your lifestyle to keep your heart and overall health good. Here is what you can do to prevent heart and other health issues: 

• Make sure to include cardiovascular exercise daily for around thirty minutes. Include strength training as well. It will not only help in losing weight but also increase blood circulation, improve your heart, reduce blood pressure, and eliminate the risk of heart disease.
• Make sure to include a healthy diet in your routine such as eating fruits, green vegetables, and whole grains. 
• If you are a smoker, then it is vital for your heart that you quit before it’s too late. 
• Reducing or quitting alcohol consumption is another lifestyle change that you need to follow. 
• If you are always stressed, then chances are you might be at risk of developing heart disease. 
• Make sure to sleep at least 8 hours daily for good cardiac health.
• Make sure not to ignore preventive health checkups. 

Conclusion

If we compare the numbers, then according to a survey cardiovascular health is one of the primary reasons for deaths around the world and India tops the list at number three. It has become one of the primary causes of death across India followed by conditions like severe respiratory disease and strokes. Hence, a preventive heart health checkup is the first and most important step that you can take. With screening tests and doctor’s consultation, your doctor can identify the problem and offer treatment that’s suitable for you.

FAQs

 

What are the tests for heart checkups?

Tests that are often recommended for heart checkups are cardiac CT scans, echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, stress tests, etc.

Can full-body checkups detect heart disease?

Yes, a full body checkup is performed to detect overall health conditions including heart.