5 Things Your Cardiologist Wishes You Knew About Your Heart Health

The heart is one of the most complex organs in the human body. Even primary school students are taught that the organ beats around 100,000 times on the daily and is responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Early in our lives, we are also taught of the importance of our heart and how we should take good care of it.

The good news is: you don’t need to be a cardiologist to know every fact about your heart. The size of our hearts is approximately the same as the size of a fist. Because of certain factors, like gender and age, our heartbeats also differ from one another. Women’s hearts are known to beat faster than men’s.

Although some people might have ample knowledge about the heart, there are still some facts that your heart doctor wish you knew beforehand. The best cardiologist at chuyen gia y khoa would likely advise you to get your cholesterol level regularly checked, have regular exercise, and eat a healthy and balanced diet. However, that’s not all that there is to know when it comes to heart health.

There are symptoms and red flags you need to get checked on by a heart specialist, and procedures (such as a heart screening) to undergo regularly. Even your pulse in itself can tell you something about the condition of your heart in general. Well-experienced professionals from your local cardiology center can help you assess your heart health.

Other than that, here are some other things your cardiologist likely wishes you knew:

1. A heart disease can be almost always preventable, but…

Fortunately, any heart disease is considerably almost always preventable. But here’s the catch: once you get diagnosed with it, you can expect to live with the condition for the rest of your life.

It’s a common misconception how several people firmly believe they are cured and completely healed after getting treatment for their heart attack. Most heart specialist hopes more people should be aware that every heart disease is a chronic illness, and it needs regular care and ongoing treatment. The condition doesn’t just miraculously disappear after getting enough medication or a surgery.

While some heart diseases are caused by family history or genetic factors, all hope is not lost as it can still be prevented early on.

2. Your pulse can give you an idea about your general heart health

Aside from getting a heart screening to monitor your heart’s condition and performance, your pulse alone can tell you a lot about your heart health. Feeling your pulse allows you to know your current heart rate. When relaxed and at rest, the heartbeat rate is also usually fairly slow and regular (around 60 beats in a minute) which suggests a relatively healthy and normal heart health.

Having a slow heartbeat rate while at rest can be linked to having a longer life and a lower risk of landing a chronic heart disease. If it’s rather erratic and fast, however, that might be an indication that your heart isn’t as healthy as it should be.

Your heart doctor would likely tell you that the occurrence of an erratic heart pulse suggests a heart rhythm disorder, like atrial flutter or fibrillation. If your pulse is constantly irregular, it is encouraged to seek help from your cardiologist to get properly screened and tested.

3. Always get your blood pressure checked – especially if you’re over 40

Having a high blood pressure is one leading factor that puts you at great risk of getting cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart disease, or heart failure. This dangerous factor is usually silent, since persistent high blood pressure typically has no obvious symptoms. The only way of knowing is to have yourself checked and tested.

There is no need to book an appointment to the cardiologist’s office just to figure out your current blood pressure. Self-measuring blood pressure machines are already starting to show up in more public places such as medical centers, fitness gyms, and even shopping centers.

With a normal blood pressure, you do not necessarily have to get it checked more than once every 2-3 years. However, regular physical check-up is still strongly recommended. Get checked at http://www.chuyengiaykhoa.com/ for specialized medical knowledge about any of your health concerns.

4. The age of your heart may be older than your current age in years

As previously mentioned, the heart is one complex organ. There is a chance that your heart age may be quite older than your age in years. You can determine your heart age through risk-prediction calculators made available online – which requires necessary personal information such as your age in years, lifestyle factors, and other data. The Q Risk calculator is a highly recommended one.

Do note that the calculator only works best if you’re in a good, healthy condition with no existing heart disease. No need to worry if you’re unsure about some answers, you can always opt to leave some fields blank.

If the results show that your heart age is higher than your own age in years, it might suggest that you’re neglecting your heart and letting it mature beyond your age in years. If the results show your heart age is younger than your age in years, you are doing a good job!

5. Having a family heart history is enough reason to get tested and screened

Do not ignore your family’s heart history. If an immediate relative (a parent or a sibling) passed away from a heart-related condition under the age of 50, that might put you at a risk of sharing a similar heart condition. You may be at a greater risk if the attack was rather unexpected or sudden. We don’t mean to scare you – but it’s best to get yourself tested and screened as soon as possible.

You can ask your heart doctor for a pair of tests: a 12-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) and a current cholesterol screen. Don’t worry, both tests are generally inexpensive and easy to book.