Cardiovascular Prevention

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of adults in the US, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
One in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke.  It has been estimated that nearly one half of all middle-aged men and one third of middle-aged women in the United States will develop some manifestation of CVD.  In addition, some data indicates that we probably underestimate the actual prevalence of advanced CVD since this disease process often exists with few symptoms or physical signs. 
Despite these grim statistics, CVD is a largely preventable and detectable disease process.  Often, this “silent” disease can be detected through various diagnostic tests.  
At East-West Health Centers we have state-of-the art diagnostic tools to help us offer personalized risk assessment and management, including:

• Advanced lipid testing– a panel of more than 100 different parameters to provide a more detailed and personalized risk profile of your cholesterol, metabolism and genetics.

• EKGs/BioZ– simple, inexpensive screens for underlying heart disease.

• CIMT– ultrasound testing of carotid arteries that provide information on amount of plaque in the arteries and thickening of the arterial walls, both responsible for CVD. It can determine your “vascular age”. 

• Echocardiograms– ultrasound testing to look at your heart walls, valves and overall structure and function of your heart.

• ABI– ultrasound used to look at the blood flow in your legs to determine the degree of blockage/narrowing.

•  AAA screen– ultrasound of your aorta to detect aneurysms, which if rupture, often result in death. These aneurysms can be detected and treated.

• Cardiopulmonary exercise stress tests– to evaluate chest pain and to further stratify risk of heart disease and evaluate physical fitness.

• Ambulatory monitoring tests– to detect changes in blood pressure and heart rhythm, and evaluate palpitations.

• In home sleep studies– Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders increase stress on your cardiovascular system.  Sleep studies can detect treatable diseases such as sleep apnea.

All of the above tests are simple, safe and help assess individual risk. The best part is that they are all done at East West Health Centers, so we coordinate all of your needs and all your information in one place.  Though we are a one-stop shop, we collaborate with the best sub-specialists when needed.