Special valentine's edition

Don't break your heart

If you are 35 or older, your heart should already be accustomed to an annual check-up. Actually, Deborah Chen, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica's executive director, recommends that you get in the habit of having your blood-pressure checks way before 35, especially if you have a strong family history of high blood pressure and heart trouble.

At 35, continue the blood pressure check and add these annual screening tests to the list to keep the little ticker going and going: the ECG, blood glucose and HbA1C (for diabetes), blood-cholesterol levels (the 'good' and 'bad' fat check); body mass index (or BMI to keep weight managed) and urinalysis (testing urine for signs of kidney problems, a side effect of untreated hypertension and so on). The good news is that all these tests are available at the Heart Foundation at a minimal cost. So, now what's your excuse?

Your blood-pressure score

The blood-pressure check is easy to do, painless, cheap and is a quick measure of heart health. In fact, whenever I visit my doc for anything, I usually request a blood- pressure check. The blood-pressure score actually gives an idea of the force of circulating blood (pumped by the heart) against the blood vessels. As your heart beats, there goes the circulating blood.

"Some people are actually walking around, thinking that they are fine but their blood pressure may be abnormal," warned Chen.

Sound advice, as she indicated that only rarely are there symptoms with high blood-pressure disease. Normal pressure is about 120 over 80 but, of course, there are ongoing discussions to lower these 'normal' figures.

The ECG and stress treadmill

The ECG test checks for the electrical activity of the heart. "It does not pick up all types of heart disease and a normal ECG doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have other issues (with your heart). We still recommend that you go to your doctor," said Chen.

"If, for example, you came to us with chest pains and you had a normal ECG, we would send you to a doctor for a stress treadmill which is the same as an ECG but putting the heart under work," Chen continue.

Blood sugar level

High blood-sugar levels, over time, can damage many parts of the body including the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. And, heart and blood-vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes, the leading causes of death for people with diabetes. The screening test for diabetes is, therefore, an important part of the annual heart check-up.

Where the blood-glucose test may give a snapshot of your glucose control, Chen said that the HbA1C gives the blood glucose control over a three-month period. When you go the Heart Foundation or to your doctor, ask for your blood-glucose check and your HbA1C.

Live well

Take the tough decisions that will reduce stress in your life; sit less and schedule daily physical activity; check your BMI and do regular checks of your eating plan to ensure that it is heart healthy and not high in cholesterol and other fats. The nutritionists at the Heart Foundation can assist with that.

Eulalee Thompson is health editor and a professional counsellor; email: eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.