The importance of heart health screenings

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.

But there are medical tests that can detect early risk factors for a heart attack.

For his third installment in “Heart Health Month” WCBI’s Allie Martin underwent a heart screening.

Doctors allowed our cameras in for the process.

After checking in for my appointment at Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi, I was taken to the lab for the first of three tests as part of the preventative heart screening.

The lipid profile is a panel of blood tests measuring the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.

Next, it was time for a calcium score.  A CT machine scans the heart and arteries for any signs of calcium buildup.  A high calcium score means a greater risk of heart disease.

Finally,  an electrocardiogram, also known as an EKG, measures electrical activity of the heart, and may determine if the heart is fast , slow, normal or irregular.  The EKG also allows a doctor to see if parts of the heart are too large or overworked.

All three tests took less than half an hour.

Doctor J Murray Estess went over the test results.

“Your results are good, your bad cholesterol was slightly elevated at 141 and good cholesterol is 56, which is good,  your good cholesterol is your cleaning cholesterol, so it helps clean the heart arteries,” said Dr. Estess.

My EKG was good and the calcium score was 0, meaning no sign of calcium deposits on my arteries.  Overall, Doctor Estess said my chance of suffering a heart attack in the next 10 years is about 1.7 percent.

And Doctor Estess said that’s the point of the non invasive tests, to spot any potential issues that can increase the risk for heart disease.

“Then we find some people who look like they have all the right things, look like they should not have a heart attack and their calcium score is unexpectedly high, which drastically increases their risk.  It’s our goal to raise awareness and have people come in and be treated before they wind up in the hospital with a heart attack,” Dr. Estess said.

Doctor Estess  encourages people to get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, and follow the Mediterranean diet for a healthy lifestyle, reducing the risk of heart disease.

The preventative heart screening costs $95.

The tests can also detect potential issues in other organs such as the esophagus and lungs.