Much awareness around the heart focuses on promoting a healthy diet, active lifestyle, and the need to reduce or control the consumption of tobacco or alcohol. Undoubtedly, ensuring balanced nutrition and an active life are cornerstones of preventive health.
However, in the 21st century India, the changing lifestyle over the past two decades have put the Indian heart at extreme risk making cardiovascular diseases a national healthcare challenge of epidemic proportions. With urbanisation and consumerism boosting economy, physical activity has decreased greatly in the general population. Labour intensive work has reduced. Fast-paced life has increased stress levels and hypertension while it has scuttled the time for exercise and sports from children to adults. Growing population density has left not enough open spaces for the outdoor recreational activities and growing screen addiction has us hooked to gadgets and stuck to our seats.
With a cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rate of 272 per lakh population, India is already being known as the global cardiac capital. Recent studies state that in India, around 41 per cent patients have low levels of good cholesterol, while a greater patient population, around 71 per cent, suffer from high LDL cholesterol levels.
Given the context, the role of diagnostics as a preventive healthcare option cannot be stressed more. It has become more important than ever to periodically undergo testing and keep a tab on the vitals of heart’s health. What some of the most common tests can tell about your heart is something which people should know.
HsCRP – C Reactive Protein: This protein is produced when there is inflammation within your body. So a positive HsC-reactive test indicates that there is some inflammation in the body, and if it is in the arteries, chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke increases. It also helps to indicate cholesterol levels. It involves a simple blood test. Test results below 1.0 mg indicates low risk, between 1.0 to 2.9 mg indicates intermediate risk, and more than 3 mg indicates high risk. One needs to consult a doctor while interpreting HsCRP tests because HsCRP flares up due to other inflammations as well.
Creatine Kinase-Muscle/Brain (CK-MB): This test is an important cardiac marker and helps in predicting possible myocardial infarction. It checks the enzyme creatine kinase in your blood. The human body makes three forms of Creatine kinase, which are found in the heart, muscles, brain and other organs. High CK-MB levels can directly indicate heart damage, and the test is usually prescribed to patients suffering heart attack. This also is a blood test, and higher levels of CK-MB mean the person has suffered heart attack or muscle damage.
Lipid Profile Basic: This test is basically your cholesterol report. This too is a blood test that measures the amount of cholesterol and fat content or triglycerides. The test reveals the composition of good cholesterol (high density lipoprotein or HDL), bad cholesterol (low density lipoprotein or LDL) in a person’s blood, and blood fat or triglycerides. This test helps the doctor to determine the chances of atherosclerosis or the condition of plaque deposition in arteries.
Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin: This is yet another crucial test which gives insight into heart’s health.
NT-Pro B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP): The test is useful in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Studies have shown that the measured concentrations of circulating NT-proBNP increase with the severity of CHF based on the New York Heart Association classification.
Hemoglobin A1c: This test is used in evaluating the long-term control of blood glucose concentrations in diabetic patients, Diagnosis of diabetes and identifying patients at increased risk for diabetes (prediabetes). Diabetes is the condition which if left uncontrolled leads to various related heart related diseases.
- Advertisement -
Comments are closed.