It seems a lot of people are penny wise and pound foolish regarding there own personal healthcare. The C-reactive protien test can be elevated in coronary artery disese [cad], it can be also elevated by other sites of infection in the body -- a sore throat, previous exposure to the flu and other infectious diseases -- so it is not the perfect test. The new paradigm in heart disease is that it is not a simple matter of our pipes becoming clogged. The belief is it is much more complex, that infection can play a part, that inflamation of the coronary vessel wall caused by nasty lipids and protiens in our blood cause the build up of soft plaque -- which can rupture causing either sudden death or a heart attack. Between 30% and 40% of all first heart attacks are fatal.
Heart disease and CAD is a progressive disease. If you're a male 40-45 years of age or a female 50-55 years old -- you have some heart disease -- it maybe pre-clinical , but you have it. If you're diabetic -- you have heart disease, and with the growing problem of diabetes in this country -- this is only going to get worse.
The decision to have a diagnostic test should be based on the risk vs benefit of the test. Is the test being done to diagnose heart disease -- or is it being done because the patinet is know to have heart disease and there is the need to determine the amount and severity of heart disease and to estimate the risk of having a future cardiac problem.
Most of the people on this board are the age when heart disease begins to raise it ugly head, The best advice is, find a good cardiologist -- one that you trust -- and discuss with him the diagnostic and treatment options. Since heart disease is a progressive disease -- stress testing is typically repeated every 18-24 months, if your previous stress test was normal -- repeated every 12 months if you have known heart disease or are diabetic -- or performed when you become sysptomatic.
Medical testing is expensive, especially if you do not have health insurance. But, the people on this board have planned and sacrificed to enjoy ER. Don't be stupid, what's the sense of finally reaching FIRE if you drop dead tomorrow.
It is well understood within the cardiology community -- that if you have a Cardiolite/Thallium stress test and the results are normal -- your risk of having a non-fatal MI or cardiac death is less than 1% for the next year -- those are pretty good odds and can provide peace of mind. For those of you scared at the notion of injecting a radioactive tracer/drug into your body to evaluate heart disease -- you face a much greated risk everyday when you get behind the wheel of your car.
dwk
Heart disease and CAD is a progressive disease. If you're a male 40-45 years of age or a female 50-55 years old -- you have some heart disease -- it maybe pre-clinical , but you have it. If you're diabetic -- you have heart disease, and with the growing problem of diabetes in this country -- this is only going to get worse.
The decision to have a diagnostic test should be based on the risk vs benefit of the test. Is the test being done to diagnose heart disease -- or is it being done because the patinet is know to have heart disease and there is the need to determine the amount and severity of heart disease and to estimate the risk of having a future cardiac problem.
Most of the people on this board are the age when heart disease begins to raise it ugly head, The best advice is, find a good cardiologist -- one that you trust -- and discuss with him the diagnostic and treatment options. Since heart disease is a progressive disease -- stress testing is typically repeated every 18-24 months, if your previous stress test was normal -- repeated every 12 months if you have known heart disease or are diabetic -- or performed when you become sysptomatic.
Medical testing is expensive, especially if you do not have health insurance. But, the people on this board have planned and sacrificed to enjoy ER. Don't be stupid, what's the sense of finally reaching FIRE if you drop dead tomorrow.
It is well understood within the cardiology community -- that if you have a Cardiolite/Thallium stress test and the results are normal -- your risk of having a non-fatal MI or cardiac death is less than 1% for the next year -- those are pretty good odds and can provide peace of mind. For those of you scared at the notion of injecting a radioactive tracer/drug into your body to evaluate heart disease -- you face a much greated risk everyday when you get behind the wheel of your car.
dwk
