Much has been said and done to increase the awareness of cardiovascular disease. Awareness of a particular disease is important but it does not give specific direction as to how to assess risks for heart attack and stroke. Much of that risk is ascribed to elevations in blood pressure, sugars or in cholesterol levels. And so the question remains: How does one appropriately assess cardiovascular risk?
1. The first step in assessing risk is to have a thorough personal and family history taken. This allows your physician to identify familial traits that predispose particular individuals to early cardiovascular disease.
2. The second portion of this examination is a physical to identify any abnormalities that are characteristic of advanced disease. Changes in blood pressure, in the eyes, the heart sounds or skin can give your doctor clues about your risk status. In most cases this exam is normal before a heart attack or stroke.
3. The next part of the examination is typically an electrocardiogram and laboratory exploration for the presence of diabetes or cholesterol abnormalities.
4. Those people with significant abnormalities are typically referred for further testing. Unfortunately for most people the type of routine testing for diabetes and cholesterol problems is insufficient to identify most of the people at risk.
As defined by the Framingham study, one of the longest and most prestigious programs for identifying cardiovascular risk, traditional cholesterol testing only identifies 50% of the people at risk of a cardiovascular event. This leaves the other 50% of people with a false sense of security even though they have significant risk for premature heart attack or stroke. A more advanced approach to cholesterol assessment is sub-fraction analysis. With the advent of modern technology scientists have advanced the ability to look at multiple sub-particles of cholesterol and to identify those that increase the risk of early stroke or heart attack. Sub-fractional analysis is done in few clinics nationwide but is one that identifies over 90% of persons with premature risk of cardiovascular disease. It is recommended that persons with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or previously identified cholesterol abnormalities perform sub-fractional analysis to further elucidate their risk and to guide the aggressiveness of their cholesterol control. If you would like further information regarding cholesterol testing or sub-fractional analysis of cholesterol, please feel free to call us at 696-8783 or email to bobtrish@gci.net.
Having your cardiovascular risk assessment in important. Having the latest technology to make that determination is essential.
