Diagnosing Heart Disease

How Is Heart Disease Diagnosed?

Heart disease is the leading killer of adults in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, more than 1 million people are diagnosed with heart disease every year. For 445,000 of them, a heart attack will be their first...

Blood Tests for Heart Disease

Laboratory analysis of blood and body fluids supplies valuable information about the heart. According to the Cleveland Clinic, measuring enzyme levels in the blood gives an indication of the severity of heart muscle damage, as well as the risk...

Coronary Artery Disease Diagnostic Parameters

The coronary arteries supply the heart muscles and tissues with essential blood. There are three main coronary arteries that branch from the aorta just as it leaves the heart. These arteries are the right coronary artery, the left main coronary...

Cat Scan Uses

CT scans also known as CAT scans or computer axial tomography have many medical and non-medical uses. This enhanced imaging technique came into popular use in the 1970's in hospitals where the three dimensional images were a large improvement...

Types of Cardiac Testing

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with coronary artery disease being the common most type, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals who have a family history or suspect they may have...

What Are the Different Types of Stress Tests?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with coronary artery disease being the common most type, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A stress test can show whether a patient does or does not have...

How to Detect Heart Disease in Women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, according to the American Heart Association. More women die from heart disease and stroke than cancer, including breast cancer. Heart disease is also known as a silent killer because it can...

Normal Blood Pressure Increase During Treadmill Tests

A treadmill test, also called a stress test, is a tool doctors use to diagnose heart disease. Although your doctor may order a treadmill test because you exhibit symptoms such as chest pain or angina, this is not always the case. If your lifestyle...

Screening for Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, there were over 445,000 deaths in 2005 attributed to coronary heart disease. The good news is that over 90 percent of people having a...

Vitamins Used to Combat Heart Disease

Vitamin D is starting to show benefit beyond bone health by affecting heart health. It may prove beneficial to use as a means to combat heart disease. A study reported in the October 2005 "British Journal of Nutrition" found there is an...

Anxiety Symptoms in Women

A certain amount of anxiety can be a normal and helpful response to a stressful or hazardous situation, in effect priming the animal body for a flight to the left or a fight to the death. The American Academy of Family Physicians, AAFP, identifies...

About Angiography

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States. With over 47 percent of heart attack victims dying before they reach emergency medical facilities, proper...

High Cholesterol and Glycerides Effects on Body

Heart disease is just one of several conditions linked to high cholesterol. Physicians describe a person's cholesterol level by two numbers: HDL, sometimes referred to as the "good" cholesterol and LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. There is also another...

Reasons for a Cardiac PET Scan

A cardiac PET scan is a relatively new diagnostic tool used to assess heart disease. In positron emission tomography scanning, a patient is injected with a combination of a radioactive material and glucose, or sugar. Areas of healthy muscle will...

Treadmill Fitness Tests

A treadmill fitness test is also known as a stress test, or an exercise tolerance test. It is used to examine the blood flow to your heart and is one of the best tools for diagnosing heart disease. It is also the most accurate way to determine...

What Are the Causes of Cardiac Ischemia?

An inadequate blood and oxygen supply to the heart causes cardiac muscle to die off and form areas of necrotic (ischemic) tissue. Whether large or small, the areas of ischemia compromise cardiac function and reduce systemic perfusion. Over time,...

Define VEX Treadmill Test

For patients with known coronary artery disease and those at risk for developing heart disease, a physician may recommend a nuclear stress test to evaluate the adequacy of blood flow to the heart muscle. Low perfusion, or blood flow, to a certain...

Diagnostic Tests for Heart Function

There are more than 80 diseases that affect the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are many tests and procedures that can assist physicians in diagnosing the correct condition. These tests can be grouped according to non-invasive...

Tests for Heart Disease

Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, is a general term used to describe any disease that affects the heart and surrounding blood vessels. The most common forms of heart disease include coronary artery disease, arrhythmias and...

5 Things You Need to Know About Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a broad term that embodies numerous heart defects that generally appear at birth. On average, over 35,000 newborns are afflicted with CHD every year, making it the most common birth defect. Congenital heart...

How Do I Read My Cholesterol Levels?

According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol is basically a fat found in the bloodstream. And while this waxy substance is an important part of your cells, too much of it can lead to problems. When you develop high blood cholesterol,...

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy All Your Life

Heart health is something you shouldn't wait to think about until you're already diagnosed with heart disease. If you do have heart disease, the same actions you take to prevent medical conditions such as high blood pressure and elevated...

How to Tell if You Have Heart Disease

The term "heart disease" refers to a wide variety of diseases involving the heart, including arrhythmias, congenital heart defects and heart infections. However, most people associate heart disease with coronary artery disease or cardiovascular...

Heart Disease & Running

Whether you have been running for years or plan on trying it for the first time, a regular running routine can significantly decrease your risk of heart disease. Along with other forms of vigorous cardiovascular activity, running helps to...

How to Offset a Heart Attack Via Diet & Exercise

The best way to offset a heart attack is to make changes to your dietary choices and exercise routines that help lower your heart attack risk, especially if you have already been diagnosed with heart disease. If you survive a heart attack, you can...

Arginine & Heart Disease

Arginine is one of the most common amino acids that for humans is conditionally essential. This means that an individual's age and health condition determine the degree of necessity. In most cases the human body makes enough arginine to satisfy...

How to Maintain Heart Health

With over a million Americans diagnosed with heart disease each year, health conscious adults are learning how to take responsibility for their health. According to the American Heart Association, the best way to avoid heart disease is through a...

Background on Heart Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, kills more Americans every year than all cancers combined. Heart disease is a blanket term that describes many...

CoQ10 vs. Omega 3

Omega-3 and CoQ10 are the first and third most common dietary supplements used in the U.S. today, according to the independent test results site ConsumerLab.com. They are often consumed in order to improve brain or heart health. Recent research...