Preventive cardiology is the branch of cardiology that aims to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, its objectives are:
- Promote cardiovascular health.
- Establish healthy lifestyle habits in the patient.
- Identify patients with a greater predisposition to heart disease.
- Diagnose diseases in their early stages, when they have not yet produced symptoms, since treatment is more effective.
What study tests are included in Preventive Cardiology?
An interview with the cardiologist is essential: through clinical history and examination, risk factors, history and symptoms can be identified to guide the most appropriate complementary examinations for each person. The general tests of a complete cardiological check-up should include an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and, in people with risk factors, especially after the age of 50, a stress test.
Who should undergo these tests and why?
Mainly from the age of 40 onwards, as this is when the risk of cardiovascular disease begins to increase. This is especially important in subjects with a family history of heart disease or with vascular risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, or with an elevated cholesterol level.
What information will they yield and when will a cardiac abnormality be considered to exist?
The overall assessment indicates the person’s cardiovascular health. This makes it possible to establish a series of appropriate preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing future heart disease. These may include changes in lifestyle, diet or physical activity. In those individuals in whom abnormalities are detected it may even be necessary to initiate pharmacological treatment to control the problem in its earliest stages, which is when therapy is most effective in preventing progression of the disease.
How should any abnormality be addressed?
Through a cardiological consultation in which the relationship is cordial and based on trust. We must understand that, by definition, these are healthy people, so we must avoid alarming information and try to communicate in a close and understandable way. Based on the patient’s condition, history and life habits, establish the objectives of the check-up, what we expect from the tests performed, and what changes could result from the results. And always from a positive perspective: it is an action that is undertaken to improve, to feel better, and for this well-being to be maintained over time.