peggy1258
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 Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:42 am Post subject: The Annual Physical Exam: What to Expect |
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Whether you are a man or a woman, raising your awareness about heart disease and understanding your own risk factors is the first step to prevention. The American Heart Association recommends assessing your heart disease risks as early as age 20, and then working to keep your modifiable risk factors low by adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle that includes regular doctor’s visits, physical activity, and a balanced diet. Minimizing stress, moderating alcohol consumption, and not smoking are also crucial to promoting heart health, as is managing any known health conditions that may put you at greater risk for heart disease, such as weight/obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. For people over 40, or people who suspect they have multiple risk factors, it’s especially important to discuss heart health with your doctor.
Here’s what you can expect from your examination:
Medical History
Your doctor will want to get a complete medical history, including details about any symptoms that might suggest trouble in your heart or blood vessels, what medications you are currently taking, your diet, your physical activity level, if you smoke or drink alcohol, and if you have any other health issues. Dr. Ostfeld also suggests bringing along any documentation you have from previous medical visits, such as blood test results or heart function evaluations, like echocardiograms (ECHOs), electrocardiograms (EKGs), chest magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs), or cardiac stress tests, and sharing them with your doctor.
Family History
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You will also be asked if there are heart troubles in your family. Children of parents who developed coronary heart disease before age 55 are more likely to develop the disease themselves. Additionally, African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, and other Native Americans have a greater risk of heart disease than Caucasians, according to cardiovascular experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Physical
A physical exam will help your doctor get a better sense of your current state of health. The examination will entail:
* Taking your blood pressure.
* Evaluating your heart rate.
* Listening to the blood vessels in your neck and heart with a stethoscope.
* Palpating (pressing) one finger against blood vessels in your neck or leg arteries (or other parts of your body) to check your pulse.
* Palpating the heart — the doctor will place his or her hand over your heart to see if it’s enlarged or if there are any other abnormalities.
* Blood work to screen for cholesterol, diabetes, or other medical issues.
* Possible diagnostic tests.
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