For many years, the major reason for death has been cardiovascular diseases. It is the world's leading killer, and common among youths and older people. While some people experience heart attacks due to unhealthy diet, for others it might be a family history. Wondering how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle?
Whether you are a heart patient or have just started to experience the symptoms, the first step to this is to get yourself checked. Finding the underlying cause is no longer an issue, thanks to medical diagnostic equipments like ECG. Wondering how it helps? Before knowing that, let's understand why early detection is crucial.
Why is Early Diagnosis Important?
Wondering why early diagnosis of heart conditions is important? When it comes to cardiac disorders, many silent natures of it make them even more dangerous. It is no surprise that ECG is considered one of the most critical diagnostic tools in the healthcare industry.
If left undiagnosed, it can lead to cardiac issues like a heart attack or can trigger the growth of other fatal diseases. Therefore, early detection with an ECG is the best course of action as it prevents such situations. Early diagnosis helps healthcare professionals create a personalized treatment plan to improve heart function and reduce risk.
What Diseases Can ECG Detect?
ECG machines can diagnose a wide range of heart health diseases, including:
Heart Attacks
ECG readings can detect your risk of heart attack while giving healthcare professionals more information on your heart health risk. It also identifies damage from previous heart attacks, even if they were silent. Besides, if you are experiencing frequent chest pains, then an ECG machine can help you find the root cause of it. Therefore, early detection and treatments can reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Arrhythmia
Another symptom an ECG can detect is arrhythmia, which is irregular heartbeats or rapid or slow beating. These are caused by various silent cardiac disorders. For instance, with the help of an ECG machine, doctors can find abnormal electrical signals even if there are no symptoms.
Heart's Signals
By relying on diagnostic equipments like ECG, doctors can reveal the electrical activity of your heart. It helps cardiologists to understand abnormalities and issues with heart activity. If not detected early, these abnormalities can lead to severe risks such as heart stroke, failure, etc.
Electrical Conduction
For the heart to maintain a steady rhythm, electrical impulses are necessary. Certain heart conditions don't show symptoms at first like bundle branch blocks or heart blocks. However, over time, they can develop into more significant heart problems with the electrical conduction system of the heart. This is where ECG comes in as it helps in identifying and early detection of these conduction abnormalities.
Coronary Artery Disease
Heart diseases hugely affect the blood vessels in the coronary arteries. As a result, it can get clogged or become narrowed by fatty deposits. This is when critical diagnostic tools like ECG machines or testing help by providing vital information for the diagnosis of CAD.
It reveals evidence of reduced blood flow to particular cardiac regions. With the help of ECG, healthcare professionals can identify variations in wave patterns. For instance, your heart muscle may not be receiving enough blood due to coronary artery obstructions.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart muscle thickens abnormally. This is when ECG plays a crucial role as it helps in detecting this heart disease. An ECG test can reveal early warning flags, even if the patient feels healthy.
Inflammation and Structural Abnormalities
Wondering what more diagnostic tools like an ECG can detect? It can check inflammation in the heart as well as structural abnormalities in the heart. This includes enlarged chambers, valve issues and congenital heart abnormalities. These disorders can impact the electrical circuits in the heart, resulting in unique patterns in the ECG graph.
When Should You Get an ECG Done?
Whether or not you are experiencing any issues, here are some signs to get your ECG done:
- If heart disease runs in your family.
- If you have high blood pressure or diabetes.
- If you have consistently high cholesterol.
- If you are experiencing shortness of breath.
- If you are experiencing unexplained fatigue.
- If you are over 40 and lead an unhealthy lifestyle.
It is recommended for patients with cardiovascular health conditions, it is recommended to monitor their blood pressure regularly. By using portable blood pressure monitors, you can keep track of your readings anytime and anywhere.
Take Care of Your Heart Health
MedGuard is the leading supplier of high-quality diagnostic equipments. From ECG machines to ECG papers, we have products to cater to all your needs. Before delivering to you, our products undergo rigorous testing. For personalised guidance, you can rely on our support team.
Read More: Most Common Diagnostic Tests You Must Know