Women unclear when to begin routine heart screenings
Routine heart screenings play an important role in detecting cardiovascular conditions early before they become life-threatening, but a new survey by Orlando Health shows most women aren’t clear on the age they should start being tested.
The national survey found 60 percent of the 1,000 female respondents thought they didn’t need to begin getting regular screenings until after 30. The average age respondents thought they should begin getting screenings at was 41, with only 8 percent of them knowing that screenings should begin at some point in their 20s.
The findings are a bit alarming to the cardiovascular community considering that guidelines from the American Heart Association suggest women should begin undergoing regular heart screenings at 20.
"This is a wake-up call that there needs to be more education on heart health and more aggressive screenings to prevent a small issue from developing into life-threatening conditions," said Carolina Demori, MD, a cardiologist at Orlando Health, a $2.1 billion provider with centers throughout central Florida. “Women can begin developing atherosclerosis, plaque in their arteries, in their teens and early 20s. Therefore, it is vital to understand risk factors and make appropriate life changes as early as possible.”
Screenings include gathering data on weight, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, glucose levels and waist circumference—all of which are associated with heart health.
To be even more thorough, patients could ask for an electrocardiogram (EKG) and other advanced tests that could detect heart conditions, Demori said.
"Often women are too busy taking care of others that they don't take control of their own health," she said. "It's extremely important to work on your health so you can be present for the ones you love."
She said that increased efforts to educate children and women on heart health is needed from educational institutions, cardiovascular organizations and even government branches.
"Young people need to know what heart disease is and how they can prevent it, so they grow up with this knowledge and understand the preventative steps they need to take," Demori said. "Women cannot wait until they're 40 to start paying attention to their risk factors."
Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.