Hopefully you have heard about the benefits of exercise, good fats, and A healthy lifestyle to keep your heart healthy. Take it one step further by knowing how heart disease might present, when to call 000, how to ‘see’ your heart health and a little about further tests your GP might request.

A bit about heart disease (AKA when to call 000)

Heart disease (aka cardiovascular disease) is the term used to cover a range of heart-related conditions. Many of these conditions involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that lead to heart attacks or strokes. The term also covers other defects and abnormalities in the heart and its arteries. You can find out more about the various forms of heart disease at Heart Research Australia.

Some forms of heart disease are slow in onset, with risk gradually increasing over time. Others require immediate attention. If you think you may be experiencing a heart attack, or are experiencing dull pain, chest tightness or discomfort that becomes more severe and does not go away, especially in conjunction with any of the following, do not hesitate to call 000. Your operator and any ambulance attendees would rather attend a false alarm than miss a critical chance to save your life. Other symptoms that may indicate a heart attack can include the following:

  • Jaw and neck pain
  • Severe pain (often described as ‘crushing’)
  • A squeezing or choking sensation
  • Nausea/feeling sick in the stomach
  • Fainting or sweating
  • Pain in the shoulder and/or arms
  • Pain from the chest to the back
  • The sensation of heartburn
  • Sudden difficulty breathing
  • Sudden overwhelming fatigue or weakness
  • Flu-like symptoms

Less urgent heart-related symptoms that should be investigated further through your GP:

  • · Irregular, erratic, fast or slow heart rate
  • · Occasional chest pain that does not meet the description of a heart attack
  • · Concerning results from heart health indicator tests including blood pressure, cholesterol and resting heart rate.

Heart health indicators

In the absence of warning signs or heart concerns, you can get a preliminary indication of your heart health by knowing (and reducing your risk factors) and regularly reviewing your heart health numbers.

Risk factors include

  • Smoking
  • Being inactive
  • Diabetes
  • High weight
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Age (risk of heart disease increases as we age)
  • Gender (men are at higher risk from a younger age)
  • Family history

Your heart health numbers are:

· Blood pressure – are you within the range of 100/60 – 130/80? You can get more information about blood pressure here, or speak to your local Capital Chemist pharmacist about a blood pressure test available in our pharmacies. Blood Pressure Monitors are for sale to allow you to test at home.

· Cholesterol – guidelines for healthy cholesterol levels depend on your other risk factors. You can find more information or request a test from your Pharmacist, who can provide you with personalised feedback and advice based on your results.

· Heart rate – this is a great data point to start with as it’s easily accessible using either traditional checks on your windpipe or wrist, or via many smartwatches (check your watch or confirm before purchase). Many things impact your heart rate, and the important number is the one when you are at rest. A healthy heart usually has a resting heart rate of between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Other heart health checks

If you have noticed any heart health warning signs, fall outside these heart health indicator ranges or have any other concerns, please see your GP as soon as possible for a full heart health check. Many heart health investigations are minimally invasive and pain-free. Your GP will recommend the ones you need based on your circumstances and symptoms. These may include:

  • Chest x-rays
  • Blood tests
  • Echocardiograms (ultrasound to create a picture of your heart)
  • Electrocardiogram (electrodes used to record the electrical activity of your heart)
  • Exercise stress test (a combination of tests designed to evaluate your how your heart copes with extra physical demands)
  • Gated blood pool scan (a small amount of radioactive material allows measurement of the amount of blood from the heart)
  • Heart scan (reviewing blood flow both at rest and after exercise, also using a small amount of radioactive material)

For more information, visit your local Capital Chemist today, or review the resources available at Heart Health Direct.