Why is a healthy heart important? Your body’s power source is your heart. If your heart stops working, your body ultimately shuts down. So when it comes to a healthy heart vs. an unhealthy heart, the healthy heart wins since it makes you live longer whereas the unhealthy heart leads to cardiovascular diseases. An unhealthy heart is known to be one of the world’s primary causes of death.
This blog will walk you through all the details about heart health tests and help you stay healthy by preventing heart diseases.
- What is a heart health test?
- What is an at-home heart health test?
- When to take a heart health test?
- Why take heart health tests?
- How to prepare for heart health tests?
- Can heart disease be prevented?
- Providers location
For those who are interested in knowing the heart health test cost beforehand, we begin with that section.
Heart health Test Cost
There are many options available for heart health testing, but we have identified the best and the most affordable home test kit provider and have listed them out for you. An at-home heart health testing kits cost $99 in the US. Order online, finish the procedure, ship back your sample, and receive the results online in 2 – 5 business days.
The following table shows the heart health home test kit cost at one of our partners who ship the test kit across the U.S.
Name of our Partner Labs | Book Online |
LetsGetChecked(Home Test Kit)
| $99 |
What is a heart health test?
Heart diseases are on the rise, so you must keep an eye on your heart health and identify any symptoms of disease to avoid serious health problems. Heart health tests are essential for identifying any underlying problems and assisting patients in taking the right preventive measures to preserve their heart health.
The first step in a Heart Health Test is to take a blood test that measures the functioning of your heart. Your physician might ask you to get a blood test that tests for triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, HbA1c, and hs-CRP.
If the results of your blood test indicate that you have health problems, your physician will suggest that you take tests like an echocardiogram (ECHO), an electrocardiogram (EKG), and a cardiac stress test.
An EKG captures the electrical activity of your heart so that doctors can evaluate your overall heart health.
An ECHO is a test where sound waves produce pictures of your heart that allow medical professionals to examine your heart’s chambers and valves for abnormal issues or other problems.
A cardiac stress test is a type of physical activity that determines how effectively your heart reacts to significant changes in physical activity.
What is an at-home heart health test?
An at-home heart health test is a test that provides the easiest way to keep a check on heart health and detect heart diseases early. Given that they can be performed privately at home, without any discomfort, and for a reasonable price, this test is frequently recommended. Such examinations guarantee greater health outcomes and present you with the chance to change your lifestyle by improving your diet or engaging in more regular exercise.
At-home heart health test kit by our partner, myLAB Box, measures the levels of important parameters like CHOL, TG, HDL, LDL, hsCRP, and HbA1c, only a quick fingerstick is needed to collect a few drops of blood.
Such blood tests for heart health are used to measure HbA1c, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and Cholesterol. Ultimately, it ensures that your cardiovascular system is robust and healthy. You can get quick results in 2-5 days from CAP and CLIA-certified labs
When to take a heart health test?
Heart health tests are performed to estimate how well your heart works, diagnose potential disorders, and look for any possible concerns. The early detection of cardiac disorders and their treatment can help prevent the development of life-threatening disorders. It’s important to discuss the following symptoms with your physician as soon as you can to have additional testing and assessment.
The common symptoms of heart disease are:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Lack of sleep
- Fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
- Swelling in the ankles or feet
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- A sensation of uneasiness, after eating.
- Nausea
- Cold sweats
In addition to the symptoms described above, you should be informed of the causes and characteristics of heart diseases.
The various kinds of heart conditions include the following:
- Arrhythmia (erratic heartbeats)
- Coronary artery disease (arteries blockage)
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscles)
- Congenital heart defects (missing valve/hole in the heart wall)
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (heart contractions become difficult)
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack/blood flow stoppage)
Knowing the causes allows you to take prompt preventative action and get a heart health checkup when you understand your lifestyle and medical conditions that could cause heart disease.
Causes of heart disease are:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Smoking
- High cholesterol levels
- Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2)
- Obesity/overweight status
- Lack of physical exercise/activity levels
- Alcohol abuse or excessive consumption,
- Poor dietary choices/habits
- Chronic kidney failure due to diabetes
Why take heart health tests?
The importance of Heart Health Tests cannot be stressed enough because they help identify the risk factors, diseases of the heart, and their cure early on to alter one’s lifestyle before potentially harmful medical concerns arise. By taking regular heart health tests, you can be assured that the steps you take are for the purpose to live a longer healthier life.
Heart health tests are important because:
- Early detection of illnesses or diseases
- Reduce the risk of getting sick
- Get prompt and effective treatment
- Boost general health
- Envision how your health has changed throughout time.
- Reduced overall healthcare spending
- Get access to the latest medical knowledge, cutting-edge techniques, and technology.
How to prepare for heart health tests?
For a heart health test at home, there is no requirement to fast or alter one’s diet or lifestyle in preparation for a heart health test done at home. It is also suggested to see your doctor before quitting any medication.
To take a cardiac stress test, you should refrain from eating, drinking, or smoking for at least eight hours before. Caffeine will have to be avoided for 24 hours before the test.
To undergo a transthoracic echocardiogram, no special precautions are necessary where you can eat, drink, and take medications. Before undergoing transesophageal echocardiography, you will have to fast for several hours.
An ECG (or) EKG test will require you to inform your doctor about the types of drugs you take because they may affect the results. Besides this, no further preparations are needed.
Can heart disease be prevented?
To secure one’s overall well-being, it is fundamental to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Making healthy lifestyle choices will assist you in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases.
The most commonly recommended measures to prevent heart disease and the reasons, why they are useful are listed below:
- A balanced diet that replaces processed foods with fresh fruits and vegetables will help lower bad cholesterol levels while raising good cholesterol levels, which ultimately improves cardiovascular health.
- Engaging in regular walking for 30 minutes per day and five days per week helps in reducing blood pressure.
- Avoiding smoking helps prevent atherosclerosis.
- Reducing alcohol intake lowers blood pressure by easing the burden on the liver.
- Reducing stress from work or home life through relaxation techniques such as meditation
- Using relaxation methods like meditation helps reduce stress from work or home.
- Obtaining enough sleep allows for the efficient operation of our biological functions.
- Start practicing yoga and breathing techniques to prevent shallow breathing since it negatively impacts heart health.
- By incorporating preventative heart health tests into your regular medical care, you can prevent heart disease and get it treated. This is done by identifying the early signs of heart disease.
Providers location
Heart health testing can be done in any of the labs near you or at the convenience of your home with our partner’s at-home test kit. To know the heart health test at-home test kit cost in the US, check the above table.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How many heartbeats does a healthy heart have?
A healthy heart rate will have heartbeats that typically range from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Can you be cured of heart disease?
Heart disease can be treated by addressing health risks including cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking. Approaching healthcare providers at the right time when there is an increase in risk factors.
What is the relationship between heart health and diabetes?
Studies show that having diabetes increases a person’s risk of having a heart attack by five times compared to not having it.
Moreover, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol in diabetic patients can greatly reduce their chance of getting heart disease. Because of this, diabetes patients must receive the right care and have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels monitored frequently.
Why have heart diseases become the primary cause of death?
The primary explanation for why cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality is related to lifestyle choices that encourage cardiovascular disease. Excessive alcohol intake, smoking, and increased junk food consumption are examples of unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Other topics you may be interested in:
- APOE gene test: Importance on brain health, symptoms, and test cost
- PCOS Testing: Symptoms, Causes, and Testing Cost
- Glyphosate exposure methods
- How much does the vaginitis test cost in the U.S.?
- Why do you need a mineral test?
- At-Home Chlamydia Testing in the US
- Order an at-Home Syphilis Test Kit
- STD Testing in NYC (New York City)
- Treatment for Inflammation in Men and Women
- Treatment for micronutrient deficiency
- Importance of essential vitamins
- Procedure for urinalysis testing
- What is a lead blood test?
- Types of anemia
- Symptoms of oat allergy
- What are the complications of seasonal allergies?
- Cost of Tetanus Testing in the U.S.
- What are the symptoms of mold allergy?
- Treatment required for nut allergy
- Importance of Blood type test
- Planned Parenthood STD Testing Cost Vs. Other Health Providers
