How Is Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosed and Monitored?
Some of the tests to diagnose or monitor heart disease are quite basic, and your doctor probably already checks these:
Lipid Levels – The amounts of fats in your bloodstream. These should be checked regularly, preferably in a fasted state (after 12 hours with no food or drinks other than water). For more information on cholesterol click here, and for triglycerides click here.
Total Cholesterol – Your total mix of good and bad cholesterol. Ideal is less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood, borderline is 201 to 239 mg/dL and high is 240 mg/dL and higher.
LDL Cholesterol – One of the two "bad" types of cholesterol. The ideal level is below 100 mg/dL, while 160 mg/dL or more is considered high.
VLDL Cholesterol – The other "bad" cholesterol. It is calculated indirectly as a percentage of your triglycerides. A normal VLDL is usually between 5 and 40 mg/dL.
HDL Cholesterol – The "good" type of cholesterol. The ideal level is 60 mg/dL or higher. Normal is 40 to 59 mg/dL. Below 40 mg/dL is too low.
HDL/LDL Ratio – The HDL/LDL ratio looks at the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. The ratio is determined by dividing the LDL cholesterol into the HDL cholesterol. For example, if a person has an HDL cholesterol of 50 mg/dL and an LDL cholesterol of 150 mg/dL, the HDL/LDL ratio would be 0.33. The goal is to keep the HDL/LDL ratio above 0.3, with the ideal HDL/LDL ratio being above 0.4.
Triglycerides – Less than 150 mg/dL is ideal, while greater than 200 mg/dL is high.
Blood Pressure – According to the American Heart Association, the top number (systolic) should ideally be less than 120 and the lower number (diastolic) should be less than 80. Usually stated as, "120 over 80." A blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is considered high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Glucose – Normal glucose—the amount of sugar in the blood—is less than 100 mg/dL in a fasted state. Pre-diabetes is 100 to 125 mg/dL fasted, and diabetic is 126 mg/dL or higher. Another blood test calls for testing your blood sugar while in a fasted state, drinking a sugary beverage and then tested your blood glucose again two hours later.
Kidney Function – Kidney damage can be a cause or an effect of cardiovascular disease. BUN (blood urea nitrogen), creatinine and uric acid are three common blood tests of kidney function.
Your health care provider may order additional cardiovascular disease tests. These may include an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), an echocardiogram, a chest X-ray, a computerized tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, stress testing or cardiac catheterization.
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