Will Timely Diagnosis Of Heart Disease Reverse The Disease Completely?
Will Timely Diagnosis Of Heart Disease Reverse The Disease Completely?
Introduction
One of India’s famous filmmakers and choreographer Remo D’Souza is yet to understand the reason for his heart attack. Diagnosed with a 100 per cent blockage, Remo survived due to timely treatment. This gives rise to the question – will timely diagnosis of heart disease completely reverse the disease? Let us understand if this is possible along with important information that supports the answer.
What Will A Blood Test For Heart Disease Reveal?
A lot of extremely important information about your heart health will be revealed with a blood test. This is usually part of standard diagnosis of heart disease. Here is a look at the different types of blood tests and the purpose:
- Cholesterol levels – indicates levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein known as bad cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein known as good cholesterol triglycerides.
- High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) – this is to look for inflammation in the body.
- Troponin – this is a standard test to understand if you have suffered any recent heart damage. Troponin is a protein that is released when there is damage to the heart muscle.
- B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) or N-Terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) – are used to look for heart failure, and are proteins that are released when the heart undergoes stress.
- Blood Sugar – indicates diabetes or prediabetes, that are known risk factors of heart disease.
- Homocysteine – indicates levels of this amino acid, which damages the arteries.
- Fibrinogen – is a protein responsible for blood clotting, and increases the risk of heart disease.
Which Is The Most Reliable Heart Disease Test?
No test is typically regarded as the most reliable as part of tests for diagnosis of heart disease. Typically, it is a combination of tests, and this is determined on the basis of the symptoms and risk factors. Certain tests are considered as more reliable for specific diagnostics of heart disease, as listed below:
- Electrocardiogram – is effective in diagnosing abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, or damage.
- Echocardiogram – is reliable for checking heart function, looking for valve problems, and heart failure, congenital defects.
- Stress test – detects coronary artery disease.
- Coronary Angiography – detects coronary artery blockages.
- CT Coronary Angiogram – is reliable for detecting blockages or narrowing in the coronary arteries.
- Blood tests – are reliable for confirming damage to the heart or an attack.
- Cardiac MRI – is reliable for detecting structural heart disease, and damage post-heart attack.
Which Tests Are Used In The Diagnosis Of Rheumatic Heart Disease?
Diagnosis of RHD involves a combination of evaluation, blood tests, and imaging tests. Commonly used tests for diagnosis of heart disease of this nature include:
- Echocardiogram – commonly known as Echo to visualize the heart’s structure and function. It helps detect valve damage, narrowing or leakage of valves.
- Electrocardiogram – referred as either ECG or EKG, this measures the electrical activity of the heart. It detects abnormal heart rhythms due to valve damage.
- Chest X-ray – is an imaging test of the chest to check the size and shape of the heart and lungs. It detects an enlarged heart or fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Blood tests – there are three different tests used as part of diagnosis.
- ASO titer measures antibodies to indicate a recent strep throat infection.
- C-Reactive Protein reveals inflammation in the body.
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate also indicates inflammation.
- Rapid Strep test – looks for Streptococcus bacteria in the throat.
- Cardiac MRI – visualizes the heart using magnetic fields. This assesses the heart valves and function in detail.
- Doppler Ultrasound – shows flow of blood through the heart valves. This assesses the functioning of the heart valves.
What Does ICD 10 Ischemic Heart Disease Mean?
This is coded depiction according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, and is used by healthcare providers. This helps classify and code various diagnoses, symptoms, conditions types and stages for treatment, and billing purposes.
ICD-10 ischemic heart disease refers to those codes related to lesser flow of blood to the heart. This condition, known as ischemia, is typically due to blockages in the coronary arteries. The common ICD-10 codes of this condition include:
I20 – Angina Pectoris
I20.0: Unstable angina
I20.1: Angina pectoris with documented spasm
I20.8: Other forms of angina pectoris
I20.9: Angina pectoris, unspecified
I21 – Acute Myocardial Infarction, commonly known as heart attack
I21.0: STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) of the anterior wall
I21.1: STEMI of the inferior wall
I21.9: Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified
I22 – Subsequent Myocardial Infarction
Used when a heart attack occurs within 28 days of earlier attacks.
I25 – Chronic Ischemic Heart Disease
I25.1: Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery
I25.2: Old myocardial infarction
I25.5: Ischemic cardiomyopathy
I25.9: Chronic ischemic heart disease, unspecified
What Are The Common Congenital Heart Disease Signs And Symptoms?
Various symptoms and signs of congenital heart disease may be recognized indicating defects at birth. This is also achieved during diagnosis of heart disease. Symptoms vary and depend on the type and severity of the defect. Common signs and symptoms in adults include the following:
- Difficulty breathing – during minimal physical activity or even while resting.
- Overall tiredness – even during routine physical activities.
- Swelling – especially in the legs, abdomen.
- Heart murmurs – detected during examination with a stethoscope, and refers to abnormal heart sounds.
- Fainting – during physical activity.
- Irregular heartbeat – known as arrhythmias, these are also commonly experienced.
Advanced genetic testing facilities in Tamilnadu offer you the opportunity to rule out or confirm congenital heart disease and inherited conditions. A sample of your saliva or blood is used to analyse and provide reports on genetic components of heart disease.
To sum up, timely detection of heart disease can prevent it from worsening and can help in managing the condition. However, it is incorrect to claim that the disease can be prevented completely, technically. The effects of the disease can be considerably controlled and depending on the approach, it can prevent fatalities. Some of the effects of the disease can be reversed, and this will contribute to overall risk reduction and improve health.
Related Blogs :
Shetty B s a cardiologist in Chennai, with extensive experience in the field. He completed his MBBS from Madurai Kamaraj University, followed by an MD in General Medicine and a DM in Cardiology from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University (TNMGRMU).