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According to the World Health Organization, American Heart Association (AHA) and other medical organizations, as many as 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable. While this may be true, the risk of heart disease increases with age, and some symptoms may be genetic, inherited from parents, and cannot be controlled.

There are many risk factors that can be controlled. These include avoiding diabetes and obesity by quitting smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats, and lowering salt intake and blood pressure. The AHA recommends two diet plans to improve heart health: the Mediterranean-style diet and the DASH diet, also known as the Diet to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet allows for more low-fat or fat-free dairy and meat, while the Mediterranean diet regularly uses olive oil.

Daniel, a cardiologist at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, said, “Not all risk factors are under our control, and although people may be mitigating the risk factors that are controllable.” “They may still have underlying heart or blood vessel conditions, so regular check-ups and regular doctor visits are still important.” Kiss, MD, Director of his AngioScreen® Program at Hackensack Meridian health.

Advanced screening gives clinicians a clear picture of your risk for heart disease and stroke.hackensack meridian health (HMH) offers two advanced screenings to New Jersey residents. This allows cardiologists to quickly and accurately detect narrowed or blocked arteries that can lead to heart attacks or strokes, without invasive procedures. AngioScreen® combines several different screens and measurements to screen for heart and vascular disease in less than 15 minutes. These tests include tests used to determine the health of blood vessels in the neck, heart, and legs, blood pressure and pulse, heart rhythm, and detect abnormalities before an emergency. “The goal is to identify any concerns so that we can begin treatment early, whether it’s medication, lifestyle changes, or interventional procedures,” Dr. Kiss said.

Another quick screening, CT calcium scoring, is a 10-minute scan that looks for hardened calcium-containing plaques in the arteries around the heart. Patients with high calcium scores have a higher risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke. “This scan helps cardiologists determine the value of possible preventive interventions and provides another accurate measure of a patient’s risk,” Dr. Kiss said.

“Cardiovascular therapy has advanced extremely rapidly in recent years, with new drugs, state-of-the-art cardiac devices, and minimally invasive techniques and procedures making it miraculous. We are saving and improving patient lives in ways that would have been unheard of ten years ago, or even just five years ago. Heart surgeries that required several days in the hospital can now be completed on an outpatient basis. . That’s amazing,” Dr. Kiss said.

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