If you have any of the symptoms of heart disease, Dr. Reichman and Dr. Oz recommend that you see your doctor immediately.
Tests Available to Monitor Your Heart
Ask your doctor whether these tests may be right for you:
Ask your doctor whether these tests may be right for you:
- EKG: This test measures whether heart rhythm or conduction is abnormal. The problem with this test is that only 1.1% of women between the ages of 45 and 65 have abnormal EKGs. The test usually needs to be taken when the patient is experiencing pain that could be considered a heart attack.
- Exercise stress test: This test monitors your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, electrocardiogram and how tired you are during exercise. It determines whether there is a sufficient blood supply in your arteries that supply blood to the heart. Patients are hooked up to exercise equipment.
- Echocardiogram: This is an ultrasound test taken during exercise to see how the heart is pumping.
- Thallium stress test: Doctors inject a patient with a radioactive material in the blood to see whether the material flows correctly to the heart.
- Coronary angiography: Dye is shot into the vessels to see whether the vessels are narrowing or whether there is a build up of plaque.
Published 01/01/2006
