What tests can indicate a silent heart attack has occurred?
Blood tests, electrocardiograms (EKGs), and imagery tests such as MRIs or echocardiograms can detect silent heart attacks. If your doctor suspects you have had a silent heart attack, there is a good chance you will undergo one or more of these tests.
But if a silent heart attack took place months ago, isn’t it too late to do anything?
Far from it. If you learn you’ve had a silent heart attack, the goal is to reduce your chance of having another heart attack. It’s never too late to make choices that can help keep you healthy.
Whether you have ever suffered a silent heart attack or not, you can benefit from mapping out a plan to increase your chances of having a healthier heart for many years to come. Even if you’re in excellent cardiac shape right now, you can’t go wrong laying out a plan to stay that way.
Let’s go back to items on that Mayo Clinic list of risk factors for heart attacks:
- Tobacco use
If you smoke, it’s time to quit. If you’ve already tried and failed to quit, the good news, if you’re a Medicare recipient, is that you’re eligible for up to eight Medicare-covered visits with a doctor or other Medicare-recognized practitioner qualified to provide counseling services to help you stop smoking. Medicare smoking cessation services have made all the difference to many people, reducing their risk of heart attack and contributing to a much-improved quality of life.
- Family history of heart disease
If family history puts you at elevated risk of heart attack, there are Medicare preventive services designed to help lower your risk. Along with screenings and early-detection opportunities, Medicare offers an annual behavioral therapy visit with a primary care doctor. During this visit you will have the opportunity to discuss healthy lifestyle choices and resources, and plot a course of action likely to keep your heart in good shape for many years to come.
- High cholesterol
Everyone with Medicare is eligible for cardiovascular screenings to check cholesterol and other blood fat levels every five years. Medicare-covered screenings include a total cholesterol test, a cholesterol test for high density lipoproteins, and a triglycerides test. If medication is part of the equation to help reduce your cholesterol, drug coverage associated with Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) or Medicare Part D (prescription drug plans) will help keep costs manageable.
- Lack of exercise
This is easy to fix. After your doctor gives the go-ahead, get started on those senior cardio workouts. Take up tennis. Go cycling. It doesn’t matter. Just give your heart the attention it needs.
- Excessive weight
If you have a body mass index of 30 or more, Medicare covers intensive counseling to help you lose weight. This counseling may be covered if you get it in a primary care setting where counseling can be coordinated with a comprehensive prevention plan. The counseling is designed to help you make healthy lifestyle choices necessary to overcome obesity, thus lowering your risk of heart attack and other conditions associated with obesity.
- Diabetes
It is well established that diabetes significantly elevates your risk of heart attack. We discussed the connection between diabetes and heart health in a recent post before following up in second post on that same topic shortly after. As both posts point out, there is much Medicare can do to help prevent or manage diabetes to protect your heart.
Spread the word. Silent heart attacks are all too real. But if you keep your guard up and give your heart the respect it’s due, you’ll be in great shape to stay in great shape for a long, long time.
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What advice do you have to help keep readers safe from silent heart attacks?
Silent Heart Attacks—Don’t Think They’re Not the Real Thing© 2013 MedicareMall.com