Heart Disease & Coronary Inflammation
Introducing Lifestyle Interventions Lowers Heart Disease Risk
One in three Americans suffer from heart disease. For most it is preventable and reversible. You can take action to improve your heart health.
Implementing school-based programs aimed at teaching healthy cardiovascular health habits as early as preschool can achieve lasting lifestyle changes in children, according to a review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
No excuses for heart disease, hypertension we can help! Call now at 901-763-7006 to learn more about the why and how to beat heart disease. Medicare accepted upon qualification.
More information about Boston Heart labs
Coronary Inflammation Testing (PDF)
Boston Heart Analysis Four Areas to Access Risks for Cardiovascular Disease:
1. Lipids
Lipids are made up of different kinds of cholesterols and fats that your body needs to function. Your test results will tell you if you have too much cholesterol or fat, whether the kind you have is dangerous, and if you are at risk of forming blockages that can lead to heart attack or stroke.
2. Inflammation
Inflammation doesn’t just affect your joints and gums-it can also affect your arteries. Your tests results will tell you if you have the kind of inflammation in your arteries that would increase your near-term risk of heart attack or stroke.
3. Metabolics
Metabolic tests tell you if your have diabetes or if you are at risk for developing diabetes. Diabetes significantly increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
4. Genetics
Your genes can influence your body’s response to medications and nutrition. While your genes don’t change, this information helps your healthcare provider determine your treatment-the right medication, the right dose, and even the right foods.
The Four Parts of Heart Disease Testing (PDF)
Cardiovascular and Pre-Diabetes Test
Cardiometabolic Testing
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death. Standard cholesterol tests can miss that YOU are at risk. Poor blood sugar regulation and unhealthy triglyceride and lipoprotein levels often present long before the diagnosis of type 2 Diabetes. SpectraCell’s CardioMetabolic and Pre-Diabetes panels offer definitive diagnostic and clinically relevant evaluation to help define risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and progression toward type 2 diabetes. These check points along with an overall pre-diabetes risk score, help patients understand that not just one factor, but rather a constellation of risk factors, contribute to the genesis and progression toward poor blood sugar control and/or ASCVD. Results of testing allow doctors to know when guidance, educational referral, or treatment is necessary.
50% of heart attack victims had normal cholesterol levels.
– National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Who should take the CardioMetabolic Test or Pre-Diabetes Risk Panel?
All patients, and especially those who:
- Have a family history of heart disease or diabetes
- Have been diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes
- Are already taking cholesterol-lowering medications
- Have been diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome (high blood pressure)
- Have high LDL – the bad cholesesterol
- Have low HDL – the good cholesterol
- Have high triglycerides
I’ve already had my cholesterol checked, why should I have the CardioMetabolic test done?
Standard cholesterol testing only gives you part of the picture leaving many people with “normal” cholesterol numbers unaware that they are still at risk for a heart attack. The National Cholesterol Education Program introduced new risk factors that are responsible for many individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease.
According to the NCEP guidelines, 50% of people who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is carried throughout the body in little balls called lipoproteins. It is the lipoproteins, not the cholesterol in them, that leads to clogging of the arteries.
Pre-Diabetes Risk
The Pre-Diabetes Biomarkers identify metabolic abnormalities that may progress into diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where the body cannot efficiently metabolize foods, especially carbohydrates, resulting in impaired glycemic (blood sugar) control which may progress to diabetes when not properly treated or addressed through lifestyle changes.
SpectraCell’s Pre-Diabetes Risk Score is a way to estimate a patient’s risk of developing diabetes and associated complications such as heart disease or stroke. The following tests have the largest impact on the pre-diabetes risk score: hemoglobin A1c, fasting blood sugar and metabolic syndrome traits. Other factors that significantly affect a pre-diabetic risk but that are not included in this report include weight, blood pressure (hypertension), smoking, inflammation and family history.
- Glucose – snapshot of blood sugar at time of blood draw
- Insulin – correlates to the efficiency with which a person can metabolize carbohydrates; high fasting levels indicate insulin resistance and possible pre-diabetes.
- Hemoglobin A1C – long term (2-3 months) marker of glycemic control; also
considered a marker of accelerated aging - C-peptide – a measure of endogenous insulin production; useful in distinguishing between ty pe 1 and type 2 diabetes
- beneficial and indicate efficient cellular energy production
- any three of the following six traits exist in a patient: (1) high triglycerides (2) high glucose (3) low HDL (4) high blood pressure (5) high waist circumference or (6) increased small dense LDL