What if an X-ray could help diagnose heart disease or predict risk? Some researchers think it can. Using electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), a type of CT scan, doctors can examine artery walls for calcium deposits; a lot of calcium indicates a lot of plaque. In people with CHD symptoms, the degree of arterial calcification is a stronger predictor of heart attack risk than high cholesterol, age, family history, diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking. Even in people without symptoms, studies find that calcification indicates CHD, prompting preventive measures. However, whether EBCT adds much value to other, less expensive screening tests is debatable. If, for example, someone has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, do they need EBCT to know they’re at high risk? And if they have no cardiovascular risk factors to modify (in other words, their cholesterol and blood pressure are fine, they don’t have diabetes, and they don’t smoke), they need EBCT...
The following signs of heart disease should not be ignored:Angina. A feeling of tightness, pressure, or pain that appears with exertion or stress and disappears with rest. Usually felt.in the chest, throat, upper abdomen, or arms. Shortness of breath. Difficulty breathing, whether you’re exerting yourself, at rest, or asleep. Edema, Swelling of your ankles, usually at the end of the day. Palpitations. Forceful, rapid, or irregular heartbeat. Fatigue. Decreased ability toexercise, tiring easily, Fainting. Sudden loss of consciousness or light-headedness. >...
When you think of heart disease, you probably picture a simple process whereby cholesterol sticks to artery nd gums them up, eventually closing them off What actually happens is somewhat different—and considerably more complicated Stage I Heart Disease: The Scene Is Set Excess LDL particle the blood burrow into the artery way response, white blood cells call monocytes rush to the site of the injury they latch onto adhesion modules and are lured inside the artery wall by the chemicals messenger are called chemokines. Once inside monocytes engulf the LDL to dispose of it. But if there is to a much LDL. the monocytes become stuffed and turn foamy. These “foam cells” collect in the blood vessel wall, eventually forming a tatty streak. This is stage in the development of plaque Stage II: A Narrowed Artery As plaque accumulates, it creates a bulge inside the artery wall, narrowing the artery at this site. Think of the bulge as a wound, The body tries to protect the wound by forming 4 hard...
You’re never too young for high cholesterol. In fact, as many as one-third of American children (from age 2 through the teenage years) have high cholesterol. It’s no surprise. Consider what constitutes kid food in this country: chicken nuggets, boxed macaroni and cheese, and high-fat luncheon meats, School lunches aren’t much better. A national survey conducted in 2001 found that 3 of 12 school districts either didn’t meet or didn’t know if they met USDA nutrition guidelines. With one in five children overweight and an epidemic in progress of type 2 diabetes among kids, the need to track heart disease risk in children has never been greater, particularly given the mounting evidence that the precursors of heart disease begin in childhood. In the summer of 2002 an American Heart Association committee began recommending that doctors start measuring children’s blood pressure at age 3 and blood cholesterol! at age 5. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends...
So you had one of those health-fair cholesterol tests, and your readings came back high. Before you panic, be sure to follow up with your doctor. While these tests are a good first step, any abnormal or high results should be checked again. The most accurate lipid profile is one taken after fasting for at least eight hours. Even a single cup of coffee with sugar or milk can skew the results. Also, check that the blood is sent to an accredited laboratory, preferably one Pathologists’ Commission on Laboratory Accreditation. Most large hospitals and interstate laboratories have this certification...
How much do you need to know about your levels of cholesterol and other blood components to understand your risk of heart disease and how to lower it? That depends on several factors. For some people, a basic cholesterol! screening will suffice. Others will want to investigate further. Use this chart as a general guide to help you determine which blood tests you may need, Test Who Should Have it Are More Tests Needed? RoutineCholesterolScreeningThis test includes total cholesterol and HDL counts. Every healthy adult age 20 and older,at least once every five years. No If there’s no obvious reason to suspect an increased risk of heart disease (such as a family history of heart disease) and the results are normal, no further testing should be required. Yes if the results are abnormal, or if they are normal but there are other reasons to suspect an increased risk, you should have a complete lipid profile. Complete Lipid ProfileThis test includes counts for HDL, LDL,VLDL, and...
Cholesterol travels around the bloodstream in bubbles called lipoproteins. Different types of lipoproteins contain different amounts of cholesterol and triglycerides, And they vary greatly in size. HDL is much smaller than LDL, which is much smailer than VLDL other words, here’s a clear example of why having a normal total cholesterol level may not be good enough to prevent heart disease. Currently, there is no readily available test for RLP-C levels, although as more research emerges on its role in cardiac disease, thal will change >...
For years doctors questioned the role. high cholesterol played in strokes. But a large study published in summer 2002 may have answered that question. Researchers at Tel Aviv University in. israe! followed 11,177 patients with CHD for six to eight years. As levels of total cholesterol and LDL increased, so did the likelihood that the patients would have an ischemic stroke—the most common form, in which a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Another study, in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, found a strong connection between high triglyceride levels and stroke in heart disease patients. Triglycerides can make blood cells stickier, increasing the risk of clots. >...
Inside your arteries there’s a battle going on. LDLs are the enemy force, and HDLs the defenders. If your ratio of “enemies” to “defenders” is favorable, you win—plaque will not form. Here’s how it plays out. VLDLs, produced in the liver, travel through the bloodstream, where they shed triglycerides for use by cells. In the process they give rise to LDLs HDLs, manufactured in the liver, travel through the circulation, seeking LDLs. An HDL particle fuses to an LDL and “opens” it with a “lock-and-key” mechanism to take some of its cholesterol, The HDL then carries the cholesterol back to the liver and out of circulation...
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