Health Encyclopedia |
Catching the Silent Killer According to the American Heart Association, heart attacks account for close to 452,000 deaths every year in the United States. To fight back against this staggering statistic, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas is now offering heart disease risk screenings.
Staying aware of your heart disease risk is a vital step in the fight against fatal heart attacks and other cardiac events. By understanding your personal risk factors, you can make lifestyle changes to help reduce your chances of suffering potentially fatal heart problems.
At Texas Health Dallas, heart risk screenings can help determine your personal risk by performing tests and having patients perform a self-assessment. The screenings focus on an electrocardiogram (ECG), a circulation test called an ankle brachial index (ABI), blood pressure, body fat, cholesterol and glucose levels, as well as tests to look at inflammation in the bloodstream. The personal assessment requires patients to document their family and personal medical history, sleeping and exercise habits, along with other behaviors that can impact heart health.
“Our screenings do not focus simply on telling patients a number,” explains Sharon Hillgartner, R.N., W.H.N.P.-B.C., program manager of the Heart and Vascular Wellness Program at Texas Health Dallas. “Instead, we aim to give our patients a comprehensive look at their heart health and determine which factors are modifiable and which ones cannot be changed in hopes of reducing their own risk for heart disease.”
By identifying both genetic and lifestyle factors that can contribute to heart disease, the screening program at Texas Health Dallas aims to arm patients with the information they need to change bad habits, lead heart-healthy lives and hopefully prevent them from becoming one more heart and vascular disease statistic.
For more information about heart risk screenings, call 214-345-2680.
(Fall/Winter 2010) |
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