Heart disease is the leading cause of death and illness in Australia. Trying to predict who will have a heart attack is a priority for us at Heart HQ.
Prevention is the goal
Even young and apparently healthy people can suffer a heart attack. Patients should consult their GP about undergoing a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment. There are five well known ‘traditional’ risk factors for heart disease:
- Elevated blood pressure
- Raised levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- A family history of heart disease at a young age (less than 65 years)
Obesity (BMI >30), chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease and inflammatory disease (e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis) are also known to increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events such as heart attack or stroke. If you have at least one of these risk factors and are aged over 40, you would benefit from further risk assessment, stress testing and possibly treatment.
At Heart HQ, our cardiologists are the leaders in cardiovascular health care on the Sunshine Coast. We have a comprehensive heart team with specialists in all fields of cardiology. For cardiovascular risk assessment we offer both exercise stress testing and exercise stress echocardiography using the latest medical equipment. Doctors Larsen and Johnson are also trained and Medicare registered specialists in CT coronary calcium scoring and angiography. This specialised test is increasingly used to guide further management and treatment for at-risk patients.
Common questions that your Heart HQ cardiologist can help answer:
Should I take low dose aspirin to prevent a heart attack? Should I take a statin?
Just contact us—we’re here to help.