Why You Should Get Screened for Cardiovascular Diseases

Research has shown that nearly 50% of all American adults suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease at one point or another in their life. Additionally, for 4 out of 5 people who have a stroke, their first symptom is the actual stroke¹.

Stroke and Cardiovascular diseases can wreak havoc on your health and life. Data from the World Health Organization shows that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death around the world (approximately 18 million lives every year), and the primary reason for the high fatalities is that these diseases are not detected until it’s already too late. Additionally, those with COVID-19 and pre-existing cardiovascular disease have an increased risk of severe disease and death.

Why Cardiovascular Health Tests Are Necessary

Life Line Screening, who has screened over 9 million people over 20 years, provides a testing service that can detect the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases before any visible symptoms come into play. By conducting screenings in about 15,000 facilities throughout the United States for carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and even high cholesterol, they hope to be able to mitigate the problem of late disease-detection, so that people can have the best fighting chance against these diseases.

Life Line Screening’s tests for cardiovascular disease treatment and prevention are particularly useful for those who are at a higher risk than others of getting these diseases. This group includes people who are above the age of 50 or suffering from any other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, or a family history of stroke and cardiovascular disease. It is also advisable for people with a history of smoking to get themselves checked and diagnosed on a regular basis.

Benefits of Regular Screening

As you get older, your susceptibility to getting infected with cardiovascular diseases also increases. As you age, plaque develops in your arteries and can make you more vulnerable to stroke, cardiovascular disease, and aneurysms. Most doctors agree that in the initial stages, these diseases do not exhibit any visible symptoms, however, they may prove potentially fatal later. Therefore, preventive screening becomes a powerful tool to identify these diseases. In fact, 9 out of 10 cardiovascular doctors support preventive screening for people with key risk factors.²

More often than not, the people who get infected with these diseases are normal working-class people who do not realize the threat until it is too late. Case in point: one of the customers who got himself tested says: “I never even knew that there was something wrong with me. I was more than 90% blocked in both carotid arteries.” Another person stated: “I used Life Line and they detected a problem that resulted in surgery that saved me from stroke or death…I was 61 at the time…still going strong.” Therefore, the importance of preventive screening in the maintenance of health cannot be overstated.

Disease Detection in a Non-Invasive Manner

Life Line Screening tests are conducted in such a way that they are simple, painless, and non-invasive. This ensures maximum comfort and convenience for the patients. There are three different means of testing that are being used by the company:

1. Ultrasoundis a process of medical imaging wherein a “wand” is used over your body to form images of your internal organs. Unlike X-rays, ultrasound does not contain any radiation and therefore is extremely safe. It is also completely painless and does not require the patient to take off their clothes. Carotid and peripheral arterial diseases, and aortic aneurysms can be detected through ultrasounds.
2. Finger-Stick Blood Testsuse a tiny needle to prick your finger and take a tiny drop of blood, which is then tested for the presence of any potential diseases. This process is also quite painless, although you can expect to feel a tiny prick on your finger. Through this method, a complete cholesterol test can be carried out instantly.
3. Limited EKG (Electrocardiogram)is a painless test that uses adhesive patches attached to your skin in order to monitor and measure the electronic activity of your heart. Atrial fibrillation and other similar diseases can be detected very easily through this procedure as it detects any irregularities in the working of the heart.

The Life Line Screening test results are mailed to your home in about 14 days. Their testing facilities are present in major cities and surrounding suburbs across the United States, and getting yourself tested is as easy as entering your location to see what appointments, dates, and locations are available to you. A standard set of five screenings—carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease, and osteoporosis risk costs just $159, and you don’t even need to have insurance to get yourself tested. So, get yourself tested for cardiovascular diseases, and keep yourself healthy and safe.

References:

1. Hackam DG, Karpral MK, et al. Most stroke patients do not get a warning, a Population Based Cohort Study. Sept. 2009. Neurology, 73, 1074-1075.

Survey reference: 2014 Ebiquity Research, proprietary to Life LineScreening. Risk factors include age 55+, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, family history of heart disease or stroke and obesity

Learn more or schedule a screening today at lifelinescreening.com — or give us a call at 888.852.8378. We’d love to help.