Routine screenings and more advanced diagnostic tests are effective in identifying heart problems before they escalate into heart attacks.

The significance of a healthy heart to overall well-being cannot be emphasized enough. This fist-sized powerhouse pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body, ensuring the proper functioning of all your organs. So, it’s essential to be aware of any potential issues with your heart, whether they are current issues or potential future risks. This awareness is vital not just for you but also for your healthcare provider.

This is where routine evaluations of your heart’s health become important, ideally starting in early adulthood, around age 20, and becoming more frequent as you age. Regular heart health assessments can help identify and address risk factors for heart disease, such as:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Unhealthy lifestyle habits that may impact your heart
  
  

According to Dr. Kathryn Lindley, Director of the Women’s Heart Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, it is recommended to have an annual consultation with your primary care physician or a cardiologist. These visits should include weight and blood pressure monitoring, as well as discussions about diet and exercise to maintain heart health. Additional routine heart health screenings, like cholesterol and diabetes tests, are generally recommended every three to five years, depending on your age, risk factors, and previous results.

Let’s dive into the specifics of heart health checkups, including when to schedule them and who might require more frequent or specialized testing.

What Does a Heart Health Checkup Entail?

It’s possible that you’re not aware of your risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as coronary heart disease (CHD). You might not even be aware if you already have it, especially because CAD can display no symptoms, particularly during its initial phases. For some individuals, a heart attack or angina (chest pain caused by narrowed heart blood vessels) serves as the initial indication of obstructed coronary arteries. Ideally, heart problems should be detected earlier, well before they progress to a heart attack. Regular heart check ups provide an opportunity for you and your healthcare provider to identify and manage risk factors, enhancing your heart health outlook.

It’s essential to recognize that CAD is not the sole category of heart diseases. This term also includes conditions such as congestive heart failure, heart valve problems, and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), including atrial fibrillation. Moreover, some classify stroke within the “heart disease” realm, although it more broadly falls under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease, which encompasses all conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

During a heart checkup, your healthcare provider may begin by having you complete a questionnaire to assess your family and personal history of heart problems. Specifically, they will inquire about any immediate family members (parents or siblings) who have a history of heart disease and the age at which they developed it. (Having a male immediate family member with heart disease before age 55, or a female before age 65, increases your risk of CAD.) The physical examination will typically include listening to your heart and lungs.