What is a cardiac risk assessment?
This is a group of tests and health facts that are used to assess your chance of having a heart attack.
What is included in a cardiac risk assessment?
Perhaps the most important indicators for cardiac risk are those of your personal health history. Your age, family history of heart disease, weight, smoking and exercise history, blood pressure, and whether or not you have diabetes, are all important in determining your risk.
Tests that are used to check if you are at risk of heart disease can be either 'non-invasive' (readings are taken externally only) or 'invasive' (involves injection of substances into the body). Non-invasive tests include electrocardiogram (ECG), exercise stress test, CT scan, and echocardiogram. Invasive tests include cardiac catheterisation - where dye is injected into the arteries so that blood flow can be observed and any obstructions in the blood vessels identified. In terms of blood tests, the lipid profile is the most important blood test for risk assessment.
How is the lipid profile used?
The lipid profile measures cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL ("good" cholesterol), and LDL ("bad" cholesterol). Triglycerides are the major form of fat found in the body and their function is to provide energy for the cells.
If your cholesterol or triglyceride results are outside their 'normal' ranges, your risk might be increased. In this case changes to diet and exercise habits, and/or medication, may be required to reduce the abnormal levels and hence reduce your risk of having a heart attack.
What other tests are used to assess cardiac risk?
Other blood tests that may be used to assess your risk of heart disease include homocysteine (an amino acid that comes from the normal breakdown of proteins in the body), lipoprotein a ((Lp(a)), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Raised levels of any of these may indicate increased risk of having a heart attack, and allow preventative measures to be taken, for example by changes to diet and exercise habits.
How is treatment determined?
Treatment will be based on many factors – including the results of the above tests and your family and personal medical history.
Is there anything else I should know?
Eating a healthy diet and exercising are important in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. There are also drugs (known as statins) that are effective in lowering cholesterol. There are some forms of raised cholesterol or triglycerides that are genetically inherited and cannot always be lowered sufficiently by diet and exercise. These usually require treatment with lipid-lowering drugs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Are some people more at risk for a heart attack than others?
Yes. Those who are overweight, smoke, have high blood pressure or diabetes, abnormal risk test results, and those with a family history of heart disease are at greater risk.
2. Are there home test kits for determining if I am at risk for a heart attack?
Tests for cholesterol are available but the diagnosis is based on the results of a combination of tests and personal history. The overall assessment requires special equipment and interpretation by a trained professional.
