A stress test is used to detect a person’s physical capacity and cardiovascular and respiratory response to physical exercise.
Together with other clinical assessments, such as echocardiography, it helps to diagnose various heart diseases such as coronary problems or arrhythmias.
What type of people is the stress test intended for?
The profile of patients who can undergo this type of study is very varied, since it depends on the objective for which a specialist in Cardiology has indicated it: it can have a diagnostic intention or seek an assessment of the person’s physical fitness.
Almost all patients can undergo a stress test and the only condition is not to suffer from any intercurrent disease or motor difficulty that could compromise the safety of the procedure.
What does the stress test consist of?
Physical exercise is performed on a treadmill or on an exercise bike. The activity should be progressive, until the person’s maximum capacity is reached, without compromising safety. In the meantime, electrocardiogram responses, blood pressure and, in some cases, also the consumption and release of respiratory gases are monitored.
It usually lasts about 20 minutes and the preparation is not very complicated: the recommendations are to attend fasting or with a very light breakfast and wearing sports clothes.
Stress test and ischemic heart disease
Ischemic heart disease is a heart disease in which the coronary arteries have suffered some obstruction by atherosclerosis plaques. These limit the amount of blood supply to the heart muscle and prevent adequate dilation of the coronary arteries in response to exercise.
The symptoms of ischemia are not always present, since it is a pathology that can be silent or have very mild symptoms. However, in some cases chest pressure or choking is felt.
When the lack of blood supply is very severe, it is almost always a case of myocardial infarction, which is the most serious form of ischemia. On some occasions a severe arrhythmia may also occur, which can cause fainting in the patient.
Diagnosis of ischemic heart disease
First of all, an interrogation of the patient’s sensations and an assessment of the patient’s history are performed. In this way, the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases that are present or absent in each case are evaluated.
Complementary tests are then indicated, such as electrocardiogram and stress tests in their different varieties: ergometry and stress ischemia tests with isotopes or echocardiography. In addition, coronary imaging techniques and cardiac catheterization with coronary angiography are usually requested.
Causes of ischemic heart disease
Cardiovascular disease usually has multifactorial causes. While age is an unavoidable aspect, there are many preventable risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and overweight. In addition, other underlying factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise and stress are often involved. In some cases, chronic inflammatory diseases or genetics also play a role.
Treatment of ischemic heart disease
It is important to positively change lifestyle habits, i.e. diet, physical activity and weight. In addition, in the treatment of cardiovascular disease it is essential to stop smoking and control cholesterol levels.
On the other hand, various medications can be used, such as low-dose aspirin or drugs that limit the action of platelets, such as beta-blockers, nitroderivatives or calcium antagonists. There are also some complementary drugs to control arterial hypertension and diabetes.
Finally, when the disease has serious criteria, intervention is usually necessary to dilate obstructive lesions by means of coronary stenting or by-pass.