Q: I’m hearing that a lot of women die of heart disease. How can I know if I’m at risk? What tests can I take to find out if I have heart disease?

A: According to the American Heart Association, the following factors raise a woman’s risk of heart disease or stroke: age, tobacco use, a family history of the disease, high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes.

While some factors can’t be controlled, such as age and family history, you should be aware of how they impact heart health. For example, a woman’s risk for heart attack increases significantly after menopause, but the protective benefits of hormone replacement therapy don’t work for everyone.

How often you monitor blood pressure and cholesterol and how aggressive you are in treatment depend on your other risk factors. A person with diabetes will have her cholesterol checked more frequently, and we would be more aggressive in treating her high cholesterol.

The American Heart Association recommends checking blood pressure every two years and checking cholesterol every five years beginning at age 20. The tests should be done more frequently based on other risk factors or if there is a problem.

Other tests monitor heart health more directly. An EKG shows heart rhythm and can indicate whether the heart is thickened or enlarged.

A stress echocardiogram can show if there are possible blockages of the coronary arteries.

The HeartScan, measures calcification in the coronary arteries. Ideally, you should have no calcification. If you have high calcium scores, you have coronary disease—whether or not you have any symptoms.

However, none of these tests is perfect. An EKG can offer a false positive reading and a HeartScan will miss the build-up of soft plaques in the arteries because they don’t contain calcium. The tests could be considered for women at moderate risk for heart disease. The results are always balanced with the individual’s other risk factors.

To lower your risk, quit smoking, maintain a healthy weight, get physically active and control your diabetes.

Just be aware that heart disease is a major problem for women.  

********

The center offers state-of-the-art diagnosis, care and prevention of heart disease that begins with a complete women's cardiac health evaluation based on your family history and lifestyle.

Women may request a FREE heart risk pre-assessment questionnaire here.