The importance of prevention, such as Advanced Cardiovascular Screening, when it comes to heart disease and stroke, cannot be underestimated. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the U.S.
Roughly one out of four deaths in the U.S. is directly linked to heart disease – that’s approximately 600,000 people every year!
As a result of these numbers, heart disease remains one of the greatest health risks for people across the country, simply because it’s so prevalent, and because it’s often fatal.
Not knowing the following can be a deadly form of misinformation with dire consequences:
- Your risk
- The signs of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack
But not knowing whether you are at high risk for heart disease or not is only part of the problem.
Knowledge is Power
Increasingly, there has been a growing issue of people who may mistakenly believe they have a lower risk of heart disease because of only a couple of well-publicized factors.
Perhaps you are fairly confident your heart health is in good shape because you:
- Do not have a genetic predisposition to heart disease
- Exercise regularly
- Eat healthily
- Don’t subscribe to common bad habits that enhance the risks, like smoking or alcohol abuse
You may also augment your knowledge of your heart disease risks by taking a cholesterol test at your family doctor’s office, which is often a routine test for people as they grow older.
All of the above information is a good start to be sure, but the issue is this data alone may not reveal ALL the actual information you need to know.
Chronic and Silent Inflammation
Your lifestyle, cholesterol test results, and other obvious factors help with identifying your risks, but they by no means tell the whole story.
In recent years, physicians and researchers around the world are concluding the standard cholesterol test only provides part of the picture when it comes to both your imminent and ongoing risk for heart disease.
The medical community now realizes chronic and silent inflammation plays a far larger role when it comes to heart disease development. And, they need to consider it for a full assessment of your heart health.
The good news is this imperative, and comprehensive information is available. And, it starts with a consultation at the Lamkin Clinic.
We have the tools required to go miles beyond the standard cholesterol test. And, we use a distinctive risk-assessment protocol that takes into account ALL of the factors that matter.
This includes the early detection of underlying metabolic, genetic, and other silent risk biomarkers that are directly linked to your likelihood of developing heart disease and other potentially fatal conditions.
Here’s How It Works
It starts with an in-depth and thorough consultation to get an overall picture of your health. From there, we use a network of diagnostic tests and lab work that will fill in the details.
So what can you expect? Essentially, your Advanced Cardiovascular Screening with the Lamkin Clinic may include any or a combination of the following integral tests.
Body Composition Analysis, Also Known as the DEXA Scan
The DEXA Scan is a useful and painless tool that provides a wealth of information. Not only does it illustrate your risk for heart disease, but it also offers instrumental data on your physique, which includes your:
- Body fat distribution
- Lean muscle mass
- Percentage of body fat
Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness
Recognized by the American Heart Association and other organizations as one of the top tools for early detection, this non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic test is renowned for its ability to provide the earliest information possible on the possible presence of heart disease.
Cardiac Function
This test looks at strain and damage to the heart muscle, which helps identify treatments and appropriate next steps for preventing the risk of heart attacks.
Ankle Brachial Index (ABI)
Not all diagnostic tests begin and end at the heart! The ABI is a test that examines the ration of your blood pressure in your lower legs compared to your arms.
A discrepancy in these numbers, with higher blood pressure in the legs, can be a sign of blocked arteries close to your heart muscle.
Metabolic Marker Screen
Diabetes and heart disease are instinctively linked, and this test examines the bio-markers of insulin sensitivity and blood-sugar control. The results allow for both the early detection of diabetes, as well as an indication of your heart disease risk.
Calcium Score
Serving as another non-invasive procedure that is simple and painless, this test thoroughly examines the number of calcium deposits in your heart, and particularly in the coronary arteries.
Omega-3 Index Test
Distinctive and informative when it comes to long-term risk, this test examines the omega constituents of red blood cells and helps provide guidance when it comes to future treatments and possible heart risks.
Lipoprotein Particle Assessment
This test goes much further than the Traditional Lipid Profile, (which is considered a good start). It provides a better prediction of heart disease via more in-depth information that includes a comprehensive outline of your overall heart disease risks. An individual can have a normal standard cholesterol profile but still, have high-risk sublipids.
There are many more tools available, too! You can review our detailed list of available tests at the Lamkin Clinic at https://lamkinclinic.com/advanced-cardiovascular-screening/ to get a complete idea of the diagnostic work we can utilize to help fill in the gaps when it comes to your actual and concrete risk for heart disease.
It All Starts with Your First Appointment
What tests may be most beneficial for your overall heart health is never a one-size-fits-all determination. We personalize every patient’s plan of care and determine is Advanced Cardiovascular Screening is necessary.
And once your results are in hand, Dr. Lamkin will sit down with you one-on-one to have a conversation to outline an initial assessment of your unique cardiovascular risks.
Prevention is the strongest defense when it comes to heart disease, so knowing your risk is imperative to stay healthy for decades to come.
Schedule your appointment with the Lamkin Clinic today. Let’s work together to make sure you have the most complete and comprehensive information possible when it comes to heart health.