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Preventive Cardiology
Preventive
Cardiology is steps that should be taken to prevent
cardiac and other related conditions.
All of the following cardiac and
vascular conditions are preventable: first heart
attack, recurrent heart attack, angina, stroke,
atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, congestive
heart failure due to heart muscle disease, congestive
heart failure due to valvular heart disease, most
arrhythmias, syncope or fainting, and sudden death.
Some are more easily prevented than others but a
preventive strategy is available for treatment of every one.
All of us would like to prevent ever
having an illness for as long as we can. However,
cardiac disease is a common cause of serious illness in
the United States and the most frequent cause of death
for both men and women. Preventing such health problems
takes two forms.
Secondary Prevention
This represents efforts to
prevent the recurrence, progression, or complications of
a cardiac problem which has already developed. This can
mean using various strategies to prevent recurrence of
atherosclerotic heart disease such as another heart
attack or stroke. Progression of cardiac muscle
dysfunction needs to be halted before heart failure sets
in. We always wish to prevent complications requiring
emergency room visits, hospitalization, or cardiac
surgery.
Primary
Prevention
This is prevention of a
cardiac disease in someone likely to get it in the
future. Evaluation and treatment are useful only for
people who have conditions known to make a cardiac
illness much more likely. These conditions are called
"risk factors". A prime example is genetic
predisposition because of a family history of early
heart attack. Other examples are elevated cholesterol,
smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes.
A Plan For
Prevention
Prevention is a long
term process. After an accurate diagnosis, your
treatment plan involves the following:
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Providing information and education about your cardiac
condition so that you can understand how best to deal
with it yourself.
• Agreeing on the treatment
strategy.
• Setting goals for changes in
lifestyle, diet, exercise, weight reduction and use of
medications if necessary.
•· Re-evaluating your
progress periodically.
• Reviewing new
information with you regularly. Cardiology is still
progressing rapidly and new treatment strategies emerge
every year.
Preventive
Cardiology and Your Doctor
Your Doctor should be aware
of all aspects of your specialty care. Therefore, our
Center will communicate with your doctor frequently to
coordinate this part of your healthcare program. We will
forward copies of all tests we do and obtain copies of
blood work and other data from your
physician.
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