What Developments have been made in the Screening of Heart Disease?

It is fair to say there has been a lot of development in screening for heart disease, reports Dr. Khurana. Heart disease is a very common problem that accounts for about one third, for example, of global mortality, he adds. This is partly due to the many risk factors that are associated with accelerating heart problems, whether it be hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, a strong genetic or family history, or smoking.

Screening tools have also advanced in recent years with the use of CT scanning -- a non-invasive way of looking at the coronary arteries. Doctors are able to identify heart disease much earlier on than they used to and hence make recommendations to try, either by using drugs or lifestyle recommendations, to reduce the risk of that heart disease progressing.

Early identification of disease is also becoming more accepted and more routinely practiced today than it ever was. Many years ago heart disease used to present in its very late stages. When a patient had heart disease and symptoms such as chest pain, breathing difficulty, palpitations and awareness that the heart was beating fast, often that was already at the very late stages of the disease. The emphasis today is on identifying heart disease before it becomes a problem and before it presents symptoms.

When it comes to the screening tests, one of the more recent ones is the CT scan. A dye is injected into the vein, which is visible by X-Ray, and the CT scan then takes multiple slices of the heart and generates very high resolution, very detailed pictures of the heart chambers, the heart muscle, the heart valves and, most importantly, the arteries. From there doctors can see whether there is any evidence of blockages, whether they are severe or early disease, and the location of those blockages, as this can sometimes be a prelude to doing a traditional coronary angiogram, and if necessary, treating with coronary angioplastly (also known as stenting).

This video was first published by Global Health and Travel on 2nd December, 2014

"Be Heart Strong. It's Possible."

This video was first published by Global Health and Travel on December 2, 2014.

"Be Heart Strong. It's Possible."

• See more at: http://www.beheartstrong.com.sg/heart-health/why-is-blood-pressure-control-so-important/#sthash.o3fw5kfL.dpuf

This video was first published by Global Health and Travel on December 2, 2014.

"Be Heart Strong. It's Possible."

• See more at: http://www.beheartstrong.com.sg/heart-health/why-is-blood-pressure-control-so-important/#sthash.o3fw5kfL.dpuf

This video was first published by Global Health and Travel on December 2, 2014.

"Be Heart Strong. It's Possible."

• See more at: http://www.beheartstrong.com.sg/heart-health/why-is-blood-pressure-control-so-important/#sthash.o3fw5kfL.dpuf