Are you at risk for heart disease?
It seems like every time we turn on the news, there is a story about a young man or woman who died suddenly and unexpectedly because of heart disease.
- According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2020, heart disease will become the leading cause of death worldwide, and is currently the leading cause of death in the United States among certain age groups. (Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke, WHO, Sept. 2004)
- Many women are not aware of their risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association conducted a recent study in which 6 out of ten women believed they were more likely to have breast cancer than heart disease. In fact, more than twice as many women die each year from heart disease than from breast cancer, and they outnumber the men every year in deaths from heart disease as well.
- Some of the risk factors associated with heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease. Although, many people who have suffered heart attacks do not exhibit these risk factors. This means that you can live a healthy lifestyle but still be a candidate for heart disease.
- It is important to be heart healthy. Diet and exercise are always an important part of maintaining good health. But, the most effective treatment for heart disease is prevention. Heart disease can be successfully treated if caught early.
- Dr Vishva Dev of the Heart Center-Cardiology at Los Robles Hospital states “there are still many limitations in diagnostic testing for heart disease. For instance, a treadmill stress test has only about 70 % accuracy, and a stress echo-cardiogram or a nuclear study are only about 80 % accurate. These percentages are even lower in women.”
- New technology such as the 64 Slice CT Scanner now allows us to see the beginning stages of heart disease without invasive procedures. This procedure is called Coronary CT Angiography.
- CORONARY CT ANGIOGRAPHY (CTA) provides the earliest possible evidence of developing coronary artery disease, and it can also discover signs that would not be visible by EKG, stress tests, or cardiac catheterization. CTA provides much of the same information as catheterization, however, it also has the ability to see the wall of the artery and it is painless and non-invasive. Catching heart disease early may very well save your life.
- In our commitment to patient care and good health, we at Conejo MRI/CT are making this new technology available to men and women who suspect they may be at risk for heart disease. Talk with your doctor to see if this test is right for you. Be one of the first to take advantage of this breakthrough in heart attack prevention, and save your life.
CONEJO MRI/CT
2180 Lynn Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Ph: (805) 495-9442
Fx: (805) 496-6595
