Intro: This is Weekly Dose of Wellness, brought to you by Memorial Care Health System. Here's Deborah Howell.

Deborah Howell (Host): Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America with one person dying every 33 seconds from heart disease. So, how important is it to get routine heart screenings? Here to help us learn more about heart disease and routine screenings is Dr. Rachel Hargrove, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Memorial Care Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center. Welcome, Dr. Hargrove.

Rachel Hargrove, MD: Thanks for having me.

Host: So, let's dive right in. Why is heart disease the leading cause of death in America?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: Well, the majority of heart disease is caused by very common medical conditions and lifestyle factors. These are prevalent in our society, and they create chronic diseases. Most people will experience some of these things such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and then some habits like an unhealthy diet or not exercising or having excessive alcohol use.

Host: I think you hit everything. It sounds like America. How can routine heart screenings help prevent this?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: The basic heart disease screening will identify some of the risk factors that create those conditions and diseases that I mentioned. And the basic heart screenings are simple checks, things like measurements of height and weight. Lab tests that can measure things like the blood glucose or cholesterol levels. And then, it also includes a review of daily habits that look at your diet, exercise, if you have smoking exposure or excessive stress. And it also reviews your family heart health.

Host: Okay. Got it. So, what are some of the common routine heart screenings and what do they entail?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: So, those are some of the screenings that I had mentioned before. You would go to the physician, your doctor's office, and they would do a basic physical exam and then measure some of those lab tests and they would review your history.

Host: Okay. So far so good. And how often should people get a routine heart screening?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: So, the heart screening should be done as part of your annual visit to your primary care doctor. And that means that, yes, you should get a checkup each year.

Host: Wow, I didn't know that. What should people with a family history of heart disease look out for?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: So, people with a family history of heart disease would be those who have a sibling or a parent who had some sort of heart problem under the age of 50. That category of people are at an increased risk of having heart disease themselves. It means that there is some sort of genetic component of the person that leads them to have some of those chronic illnesses we mentioned. So if you are in that category where you have a strong family history of heart disease, then you may be asked to undergo additional screening. and also the doctor can help to focus on preventative measures that can lower your risk factors of developing that heart disease.

Host: Got it. And what if you just don't know your family history?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: One thing is to just make sure that you talk to your family and ask them about their health. It's not something that we commonly do, but it's important to ask your parents, your siblings, about any diseases that have run in the family. And if you just don't know, then you can always talk to your physician and go over the information that you are aware of, and they can just do the basic screening test to see if any abnormal results come up.

Host: What happens if something is found during a routine heart screening?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: So, an encouraging fact about heart disease is that 80% of it is due to things that can be modified risk factors that can be changed. So, say, you do a screening test and it picks up an abnormality like a high blood pressure or an elevated blood glucose, you can prevent having serious chronic illness from these factors and prevent the heart disease by changing your diet and your lifestyle.

 That

Host: is good news indeed, 80%. How can someone request a routine heart screening and where can they go?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: When you schedule your annual physical with your doctor, it's important when they ask the question, "Do you have any concerns that you mention?" "Well, what is my heart status? Do I have any risk factors?" And that's the best way to start a conversation with that doctor for them to then review your different testing results and screenings, and then discuss with you what is the risk and what you can do about it.

Host: Tell me a little bit, if you would, about Memorial Care Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.

Rachel Hargrove, MD: The Memorial Care Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center is a strong program that has a range of preventative and treatments available for people with heart disease. The center has advanced Cardiology, Vascular, and Cardiothoracic Surgery capabilities, and it's able to treat a wide range of conditions from heart valves to arrhythmias and to blocked arteries.

Host: And how do you feel it sets itself apart?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: Well, the Orange Coast Medical Center specifically has recently gained a prestigious distinction for providing excellent care for heart disease in the specific category of coronary artery disease. Now, coronary artery disease is one of the biggest heart diseases that people encounter in the United States. And so, our institution there is very well equipped to treat the wide range of disease that can come on.

Host: Wonderful. Where can people go to learn more about heart screenings?

Rachel Hargrove, MD: So, you can go to the website for memorial care. There is a website for the Heart and Vascular Institute, and you can get more information of things that we talked about today, or you can also just open a discussion with your primary care doctor when you do your annual physical.

Host: And I have some additional information. You can call 844-662-6484 or visit memorialcare.org/ocmcheart. Thanks so much, Dr. Hargrove, for your time and your expertise today. We really enjoyed having you on the podcast

Rachel Hargrove, MD: Thank you for having me.

Host: And for more info or to listen to a podcast of this show, please visit memorialcare.org. That's memorialcare.org. That's all for this time. I'm Deborah Howell. Have yourself a terrific day.