Heart Disease Specialist

What is heart disease?

Heart disease is among the most common chronic diseases — and it’s dangerous when left untreated. Your chance of stroke or heart attack increases if you have conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If you have heart disease, properly managing your condition is crucial.

What are the symptoms of heart disease?

Symptoms to look for that can indicate heart disease include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain or tightness
• Chest discomfort
• Numbness, coldness, or weakness in arms or legs
• Neck, back, jaw, throat, or abdominal pain
• Racing, irregular, fluttering, or slow heartbeat
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
• Pale blue or gray skin
• Leg or abdominal swelling
• Swelling in your hands, feet, or ankles
• Breathlessness during activity
• Fatigue

You might have no symptoms until you have a stroke or heart attack. That’s why routine health checkups at Associated Physicians Group, PLC are essential.

What are the risk factors for heart disease?

Certain things can drastically increase your chance of getting heart disease. Examples include:

• Family history of heart disease
• Obesity
• Lack of physical activity
• Poor dietary habits
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Stress
• Poor dental hygiene

Ways to reduce your risk of developing heart disease include:

• Getting regular exercise
• Lowering your stress levels
• Eating healthy foods
• Not smoking
• Maintaining a healthy weight

If you suffer from diabetes or another chronic condition, you must carefully manage it.

How does my doctor diagnose heart disease?

Diagnosing heart disease involves several steps. Your primary care specialist discusses your medical history and symptoms (if you have any). They check your blood pressure and other vital signs and complete a physical exam.

They often recommend a heart function test, like electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter monitoring, or a stress test, as well as an echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization, CT scan, or MRI.

How is heart disease treated?

If you have heart disease or are at risk of developing it, your Associated Physicians Group, PLC specialist may recommend that you make healthy lifestyle changes.

These include getting regular exercise, eating more fruits and vegetables, and limiting the amount of sodium in your diet. Keep your stress levels low, don’t smoke, limit or avoid alcohol, and properly manage other diseases if you have them.

You might take heart disease medications or have surgery to reduce your risk of serious complications.

Call the Associated Physicians Group, PLC office to schedule an appointment today.