Cardiovascular Disease Specialist

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is a group of conditions that affect the health and functionality of your heart and blood vessels. Health issues relating to cardiovascular disease include:

• Stroke: occurs when a blood vessel that delivers blood to the brain becomes obstructed
• Arrhythmia: an irregular or abnormal heart rhythm
• Heart attack: occurs when a blood clot cuts off the blood supply to the heart
• Heart disease: relates to the buildup of plaque inside the artery walls that disrupts the normal flow of blood
• Heart valve dysfunction: develops when valves don’t open or close normally
• Congestive heart failure: occurs when the heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently
• Depending on the condition you have, you can experience a variety of noticeable symptoms or no symptoms at all.

What are the common symptoms of cardiovascular disease?

Many symptoms can point to cardiovascular disease. Some of the most common you can experience include:

• Chest pain
• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Irregular heartbeat

Dr. Kwaku and Dr. Evivie can determine what kind of condition you have based on your symptoms and the results of diagnostic testing.

How is cardiovascular disease diagnosed?

Dr. Kwaku and Dr. Evivie offer on-site screening and diagnostic testing to evaluate the health of your heart.

If you’re at risk for cardiovascular disease due to your family background, health history, or lifestyle, routine heart checks will be necessary. If you have already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, Dr. Evivie and Dr. Kwaku can monitor it using tests like:

• Blood test
• Stress test
• Holter monitoring
• Electrocardiogram

Other imaging tests, such as an X-ray or an MRI, can be useful in evaluating the structure of your heart and blood vessels.

What treatments are available for cardiovascular disease?

Treatments for cardiovascular disease vary based on the condition you have. However, in most cases, Dr. Kwaku and Dr. Evivie initially recommend making lifestyle changes to improve your heart health. Those changes can include:

• Quitting smoking
• Reducing stress
• Eating a low-fat, low-salt diet
• Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise daily

You might also need medications to prevent the worsening of your cardiovascular issues.

If these options aren’t enough, or you experience life-threatening health issues, you could be a good candidate for surgery to repair heart damage or prevent a worsening of your condition.

Find out more about available services for managing cardiovascular disease by calling the office or using the online booking feature to schedule a consultation.