Cholesterol, HCM and other Tests to Manage Your Heart Health
The heart experts at St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Institute are here to help you do everything you can to protect your heart health. Being proactive and making sure you’re taking advantage of important screenings is important. Cardiovascular screenings help your doctor find issues early when they are easier to manage and treat. Talk with your provider about the following key screening tests.
Cholesterol
If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries. This is called plaque. Plaque can narrow your arteries or even block them.
Why Should I Have My Cholesterol Checked?
High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. But you can control your cholesterol levels. Knowing your cholesterol level is an important first step in determining your risk for heart disease.
What Do My Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
There are two types of cholesterol: HDL (good) and LDL (bad). HDL is good because it helps remove excess cholesterol from your blood, while LDL can build up in your blood vessels and cause plaque.
While everyone is different, your total cholesterol generally should be below 200, your HDL should be above 60, and your LDL should be below 100.
How Can I Get My Cholesterol Checked?
We can check your cholesterol levels with a simple blood test. The test, called a fasting lipid profile, provides a complete view of your cholesterol levels (HDL, LDL and total cholesterol). The American Heart Association recommends all adults 20 years and older have a fasting lipid profile once every five years.
Calcium Score Heart Scan
If you’re concerned about cardiovascular disease, ask your doctor if a heart scan is right for you. A heart scan, also known as a coronary artery calcium test (CAC), is a painless imaging study that measures the amount of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. Research suggests that your risk of coronary heart disease increases with higher calcium scores. A heart scan can help you understand your risk for cardiovascular disease.
Heart Screening for Athletes and Active People
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of heart-related sudden death in people under the age of 35. If you or someone you love is an athlete or involved in sports, you may want to ask your doctor about an HCM screening. Our HCM screening can help determine your risk for HCM and includes:
- Diagnostic testing
- Focused health history
- Physical examination
Vascular Disease Screenings
Early detection and management of cardiovascular disease is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You can check on your vascular health with three quick, painless screenings for
- Carotid artery disease
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)
A vascular technologist with special training in scanning veins and arteries with ultrasound imaging technology will perform your vascular disease screening. Board-certified vascular surgeons review your study results and can share the findings with your doctor. You don’t need a referral from your provider to have a vascular screening.