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When Should You Start Seeing a Cardiologist?
The team members at Heart and Vascular Care love working one-on-one with patients to preserve, enhance, and protect their heart health. Residents from Plano and McKinney, Texas, turn to us when they encounter heart problems, but they also entrust our team with their preventive heart health needs.
If you’re wondering whether you should begin seeing a cardiologist, we have some insight that might help you make the right decision for your health journey.
Preventive cardiology focuses on avoiding heart health problems
Many people believe they don’t need to see a heart specialist unless or until they encounter a heart health issue. In reality, this approach fails to take advantage of all that preventive cardiology has to offer.
Preventive cardiology is an area of practice that strives to help you fully understand not only your current heart health status, but also the individual risk factors that could increase your chances of developing heart disease later in life.
During your preventive cardiology visit, be prepared to discuss your personal and family health history. Include a comprehensive list of any medications and supplements you’re taking, including the dose.
Knowing where you stand now and what challenges you could face in the future empowers you to create a heart health plan now that can deliver results for the rest of your life. As with any form of chronic disease, prevention is always the best cure.
These signs and symptoms should prompt a visit to a cardiologist
There are also a number of heart health symptoms that should never be ignored. If you notice any of the following, set up a cardiology visit as soon as possible:
- Chest discomfort
- Dizziness or fainting
- Heart rate that is faster or slower than normal
- Blood vessel disorders that cause leg pain or ulcers
- High blood pressure
Of course, it’s also important to know the signs of a heart attack. If you experience the following, seek emergency medical treatment right away:
- Pain, pressure, or tightness in your chest
- Shortness of breath
- Discomfort that spreads to your jaw, neck, shoulders, or back
- Feeling clammy or breaking out in a cold sweat
Thanks to advancements in modern medical technology, your chances of surviving a heart attack are better than ever before, as long as you seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Current or former smokers should see a cardiologist “early”
While there is no “right” time to begin working with a cardiologist, many people who don’t have heart health symptoms wait until their 50s to have their first cardiology visit. But if you smoke or have a history of smoking, your risk for heart problems is far higher than that of a person your age and sex who never smoked.
Consider coming in for a heart health assessment if you are or were a smoker, regardless of your age. You’ll learn more about your risk levels and how to reduce them. If you’re still smoking, your cardiologist can help you find a smoking cessation program that works for you.
We’re here when you need us
No matter when you decide it’s time to see a cardiologist, the team at Heart and Vascular Care is waiting to welcome you to one of our offices in Plano or McKinney, Texas. Just hop online to schedule using our online booking tool, or give us a call to check appointment availability.