Your heart health matters. And to check your heart health, we use cardiovascular screening. It shows your risk for heart disease, stroke and other problems. It's an important part of a complete care plan.
What's involved? Some screening is done during your regular checkups. We check your weight, body mass index and blood pressure. We may measure you around your waist. We ask about your diet and exercise. And we ask if you're a smoker. Taken together, these things tell us a lot about your heart health.
There are other types of screening we do less frequently. These include blood tests that measure your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. If we think there's a problem, we may recommend more tests. You could have an ultrasound or a CT scan so we can look at your heart. We may give you a stress test. That's a test that lets us see how your heart responds to exercise. We'll let you know which tests are right for you.
Cardiovascular screening helps us spot issues before they become serious problems. It can be a wake-up call for you. It may motivate you to start living a healthier, more active lifestyle. For more information, talk to your doctor.