Three Heart Smart Tests For Women To Ask Their Medical Doctor
Heart Disease is the leading killer of women today. Do you know if it affects you? Knowing the risk factors and maintaining a healthy diet is, of course, one step toward prevention. Heart Disease is not just a man’s disease anymore. It is one of the most undiagnosed ailments in women today. But asking your medical doctor to perform three simple tests can help save your life. If you have any of the common risk factors for heart disease, you definitely want your medical doctor to test you for further evidence of any damage to your cardiovascular system. Risk factors for women include increased age, heredity (including race), smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, being overweight, and diabetes. Even if you do not fit into one of these categories, you still may want to check with your medical doctor to keep yourself from being one of the 29% of women that die of heart disease each year. So what are the tests you should ask your medical doctor about? Well, they are pretty common in heart disease screenings. 1. Blood Cholesterol Test This simple test should be done every year starting when you are 20. It measures the total amount of cholesterol, and weighs the difference between the “bad” LDL cholesterol vs. the “good” HDL cholesterol circulating in the blood. It also tests for triglyceride (a blood fat) levels. 2. Blood Pressure Check Blood pressure is a simple indicator of heart risk, and checking for it does not require one needle! Starting at the age of 18, you should have your blood pressure checked at least