When should you start testing for heart disease?
According to Dr. Mukesh Goel, heart and lung transplant surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (India), women should start testing for heart disease from the age of 20, especially if they have risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease.
Early testing at this age for women will allow doctors to monitor potential risk factors and intervene promptly if necessary.
Sharing the same view, Dr. Deepankar Vatsa, a cardiologist at Yatharth Hospital (India) also emphasized the importance of starting testing early, especially for women with risk factors such as obesity or metabolic syndrome.
Women should be screened and tested regularly every year after the age of 40, as cardiovascular symptoms in younger women may be less obvious, leading to late diagnosis, added Deepankar Vatsa.
How does early testing help protect the heart?
Starting heart disease screening in your 20s is important because it helps identify risk factors such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol levels), and insulin resistance.
These early signs can persist and contribute to the development of heart disease later in life, but early intervention with lifestyle changes or medication can help reduce the risks, Dr Mukesh Goel stressed.
“Early testing is especially important because cardiovascular problems often have worse outcomes for women than men. Many early signs of heart disease are asymptomatic, but early detection allows for more aggressive management, especially in women with genetic predispositions such as familial hypercholesterolemia,” said Dr. Deepankar Vatsa.
In addition, regular cardiovascular monitoring, lifestyle changes, and targeted treatment based on individual risk profiles are key steps in maintaining lifelong cardiovascular health for women.
