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What is Cardiovascular Screening?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

In medicine, when people are screened for disease, they undergo several tests or examinations to help rule out or rule in factors that may suggest its presence. Cardiovascular screening, which may vary in intensity of testing, evaluates people for different forms of heart disease and stroke. There are differing guidelines for who should receive this type of screening and exactly how extensive screening needs to be.

In many cases, cardiovascular screening is performed on people beginning in their 40s or early 50s. When people are eligible for this testing, from an insurance perspective, depends on the other risk factors they have, suggesting elevated risk for heart disease. For those appearing relatively healthy, with no family history of heart disease, no presence of illness like diabetes, and no markers such as obesity or smoking, screening initially takes place for people at the age of 50. This could all change if folks have several risk factors for heart disease, and in routine physical examinations doctors are likely to assess present risk and determine if cardiovascular screening is needed sooner.

Cardiovascular screening tend to involve electrocardiograms.
Cardiovascular screening tend to involve electrocardiograms.

The simplest type of screening is a blood test that evaluates different aspects of the blood. One of the most important measurements is cholesterol level. Higher cholesterol might indicate development of plaque in the arteries, and this creates risk for damage to the coronary arteries and stroke. Should cholesterol levels be high, doctors might create a plan with patients to reduce levels using diet, medication, or a combination of the two.

Doctors recommend that athletes of any level, including high school, receive cardiovascular screenings.
Doctors recommend that athletes of any level, including high school, receive cardiovascular screenings.

Sometimes cardiovascular screening becomes more extensive and the need for greater testing depends on varying factors. If a patient shows signs he or she may already have some form of heart disease, doctors might want more concise pictures of what is occurring. In addition to blood testing, they might have patients undergo an electrocardiogram (EKG) to assess heart rhythm. Other scans could be suggested, such as echocardiogram or sonogram of the heart. Exercise testing is another potential way to view the heart’s efficiency and capability as it works harder.

Cardiologists and other medical doctors may order a stress test to detect whether a patient is at risk of having a heart attack, has abnormal heart rhythm patterns or has diseased coronary arteries.
Cardiologists and other medical doctors may order a stress test to detect whether a patient is at risk of having a heart attack, has abnormal heart rhythm patterns or has diseased coronary arteries.

Though it’s often the case that cardiovascular screening is performed on people in middle age and older, this group is not the only one that benefits from such evaluation. Most physician groups strongly recommend that any athletes at the middle school, high school, college level and beyond also receive cardiovascular screening. These screenings, when comprehensive, tend to involve EKG, echocardiogram and blood testing. They are performed to catch any athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death while exerting.

High cholesterol may indicate the development of plaque in the arteries, which increases the risk of coronary artery disease.
High cholesterol may indicate the development of plaque in the arteries, which increases the risk of coronary artery disease.

Screening is a means of catching disease before a lot of symptoms emerge. If people note symptoms they think might be cardiovascular disease before they are eligible for screenings, they still need to bring these to the attention of their physicians. Cardiac disease can occur much earlier, in a smaller group of people. Early diagnosis and treatment can be useful in preventing more damage to the cardiovascular system.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

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    • Cardiovascular screening tend to involve electrocardiograms.
      By: nyul
      Cardiovascular screening tend to involve electrocardiograms.
    • Doctors recommend that athletes of any level, including high school, receive cardiovascular screenings.
      By: JJAVA
      Doctors recommend that athletes of any level, including high school, receive cardiovascular screenings.
    • Cardiologists and other medical doctors may order a stress test to detect whether a patient is at risk of having a heart attack, has abnormal heart rhythm patterns or has diseased coronary arteries.
      By: Monkey Business
      Cardiologists and other medical doctors may order a stress test to detect whether a patient is at risk of having a heart attack, has abnormal heart rhythm patterns or has diseased coronary arteries.
    • High cholesterol may indicate the development of plaque in the arteries, which increases the risk of coronary artery disease.
      By: Diamond_Images
      High cholesterol may indicate the development of plaque in the arteries, which increases the risk of coronary artery disease.
    • Blood tests are the simplest type of cardiovascular screening.
      By: Tim UR
      Blood tests are the simplest type of cardiovascular screening.
    • Consuming peanuts on a regular basis may help lower cholesterol levels.
      By: lirtlon
      Consuming peanuts on a regular basis may help lower cholesterol levels.
    • Carrying excessive fat deposits may double a person's risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease.
      By: konami11
      Carrying excessive fat deposits may double a person's risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease.
    • People who are obese and sedentary should have regular cardiovascular screenings.
      By: JanMika
      People who are obese and sedentary should have regular cardiovascular screenings.