World Heart Day: Tests and Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Medically Reviewed by:Dr. Monika Agarwal
World Heart Day: Tests and Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy

 

The fast-paced modern times, along with the increasing stress levels, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental conditions have increasingly raised the stakes when it comes to heart health. Cardiovascular diseases have become very common across the world, making it even more crucial for people to maintain good health. While pursuing an active lifestyle, eating healthy, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco products is important for good health, opting for the right cardiac check up packages on a regular basis and undergoing certain tests to determine heart health is also a good idea.

 

World Heart Day 2023: Use ❤ Know ❤

World Heart Day is celebrated across the world every year on the 29th of September every year. The day is celebrated as a platform by the World Heart Federation in a bid to spread awareness about heart health and heart diseases. The campaign for World Heart Day 2023 is all about getting to know one’s heart first. This is based on the simple thought that we love and protect what we know and when we know more, we can take better care. In this bid, it is recommended that people should get a complete heart checkup done at least annually, which will provide a comprehensive overview of their heart health and help in staying fit.

 

The Importance of Cardiac Check-up Packages

People over a certain age should ensure that their regular health checks include a complete heart checkup, which should be scheduled even more frequently in case one has risk factors that increase the chance of them developing a heart disease, like family history, diabetes, etc. The risk of heart disease may also increase because of some lifestyle habits, like not getting ample physical activity in a day, smoking, excessive drinking, following an unhealthy diet, etc. It is critical to take out at least a day for a heart check-up. A package of tests is one of the easiest ways to get an overview of heart health. Screening packages can help you understand how your heart is doing, while also helping your doctor detect early signs or symptoms of developing heart disease.

 

Essential Tests to Keep an Eye on Heart Health

Generally, a heart checkup package includes a range of tests and scans that help the doctor gain insights into the condition of the heart. These tests can also help in the identification of heart issues in their early stages, which helps people, get timely treatment or make lifestyle changes that help prevent the issue from getting worse. Cardiac check up packages may include a number of diagnostics and imaging tests, but some of the most important ones, from the Troponin blood test to an electrocardiogram, that should be included in your regular health checks include:

Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram, or an ECG, is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. ECG testing shows how fast the heart is beating and whether the rhythm is steady or irregular. The ECG is part of any routine exam that is performed to screen for heart conditions. The test may also be prescribed to detect or monitor heart problems, including arrhythmia, heart failure, heart attacks, etc. The person undergoing the test is required to lie still on a table while the technician attaches electrodes to the chest, legs, and arms, which are connected to the machine that records the electrical activity of the heart.

Tilt Test

A tilt test or tilt table test shows the response of the body when one stands up after having been lying down. Under this test, the healthcare professional monitors the person’s vitals while the table tilts at various angles. This test is generally prescribed for people who have higher tendencies to faint often. The tilt test shows how various positions affect the heart rate, blood pressure, and heart rhythm, and is used to diagnose the cause behind certain symptoms, like syncope and light-headedness.

Stress Testing

A stress test is performed to check how well the heart works when it is under pressure and pumping heart. There are also several types of heart diseases that can be detected more easily when the heart is pumping blood quickly through the body. To perform this test, the person undergoing the test is required to exercise on either a stationary bicycle or on a treadmill while their cardiac activity is monitored. The test checks the flow of blood in the heart, the blood pressure, the rate and rhythm of the heart, and the strength of the electric signals that control the heartbeat.

Lipid Profile

The lipid profile test is a blood test that is performed to measure the levels of fats in the blood. This includes measuring high-density and low-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, and more in the collected blood sample. The test is also known as the cholesterol test and as cholesterol is a lifestyle disease that increases one’s risk of developing heart-related conditions, the lipid profile test should definitely be a part of one’s heart day checkup.

High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Test

The C-Reactive Protein is produced by the liver in response to inflammation in the body that may have occurred due to an injury or some infection. Using a high-sensitivity CRP test can help detect the levels of CRP in the blood. High levels of CRP may indicate an increased risk of heart attack, cardiovascular diseases, and strokes. The high-sensitivity CRP test is very important for diagnosing various types of heart issues as it can help in the determination of heart disease even before one develops any symptoms of the same.

Natriuretic Peptides Test

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a protein that is produced by the heart and blood vessels to help the body eliminate fluids, excrete sodium through the urine, and help the blood vessels of the body to relax. Damage to the heart and heart muscles can lead to high levels of brain natriuretic peptides leaking into the blood. This amount of BNP in the blood is generally different for different people as it can vary based on one’s gender, age, weight, etc. The test can help with the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, and monitoring of several types of cardiac issues.

Troponin I Blood Test

The Troponin I Test is a blood test performed to measure the level of troponin in the blood. Troponin is a protein that can be found in the muscles of the heart and cannot normally be detected in the blood. When the muscles of the heart are damaged, troponin starts leaking into the bloodstream and as the damage incurred by the heart increases, so do the amounts of troponin being released into the blood. The troponin blood test determines the level of the protein present in the blood. High troponin blood test results may indicate that one is either having or has recently had a heart attack.

 

As World Heart Day 2023 is all about getting to know your heart, it makes complete sense for you to book Dr B Lal Lab’s “Cardiac suraksha package” for heart health, so you can ensure that everything is going well with your heart. World Heart Day is all about spreading awareness, but you should not have to wait for the next World Heart Day to ensure good heart health. Consult your doctor and evaluate your risk factors for heart conditions, so a suitable plan for regular heart health checks can be created.

 

 

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