Baseline Medical

4 Tests For Your Risk Of Heart Disease Lehigh Valley

Doctors can measure the levels of certain substances associated with increased heart disease risk. But it's still unclear what levels put you at risk or whether controlling them will help.

Elevated homocysteine. Homocysteine forms when the body breaks down protein. Some research has shown that people with high homocysteine levels are more likely to develop heart disease. (They also tend to be deficient in the B vitamins.) We still don't know whether reducing homocysteine, especially by increasing B-vitamin intake, will lower heart disease risk. Trials are under way to find out. Routine screening is not recommended, but if you have a strong family history of heart disease and no traditional risk factors, your physician may suggest that you be tested.

C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a byproduct of blood vessel inflammation, which sets the stage for atherosclerosis (see "What is coronary heart disease?"). High C-reactive protein levels predict heart disease in both women and men and could help identify people at risk who have normal cholesterol. However, researchers haven't yet determined the appropriate target levels of C-reactive protein for different genders, ages, and ethnic groups or how to interpret the results.

Heart scans. Ultra-fast computed tomography (CT) scans of the heart can detect calcium in coronary blood vessels. Calcium is one of the components of atherosclerotic plaques. But a calcium score can't tell you whether your coronary arteries are clogged. Rather, it's an estimate of the likelihood of plaque buildup. In general, lower calcium levels suggest lower risk for heart attack and stroke over the next few years, and higher levels suggest higher risk. But many people have calcium scores in the middle, and no one knows what that means. Until further research demonstrates that heart scans can predict heart attacks, they have limited benefits, and insurers won't pay for them.

Carotid Artery IMT scans. Non-invasive diagnostic vascular ultrasound uses criteria based on measurements of the inner two layers of the artery wall known as Carotid IMT (intimal media thickness). This helps to categorize risk for developing heart disease. Results can be interestingly expressed in a way for people to understand if their arteries are "older" than they are: chronological age vs. vascular age. The beauty of this scan besides it being totally non-invasive is the immediate capture of data within a few minutes. No need to undress or prep since the area of scanning interest is on the neck. This makes for a perfect addition to a corporate wellness program since the results help guard against the #1 killer (heart disease) and the #1 reason of disability (stroke) which would certainly appeal to the employer bottom line and employee quality of life indeed.

About Dave Brown, BA MS RVT - Owner - Baseline Medical: Dave Brown initiated the foundation for Baseline Medical over 40 years ago with required science courses as a college undergraduate. In the early 1980's Dave began to focus on an emerging new field in medical diagnostic health care called vascular ultrasound. He became fully registered in Vascular Technology earning the RVT credential. Carotid artery screenings are performed in his office and onsite at workplace wellness clinics and more.