The Heart Health Screenings Every Latino Should Get By Age, From Your 20s To Your 60s
Even though the Latino community is nuanced and diverse, research has found that our community members are more likely to find themselves diagnosed with cardiovascular conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure.
That’s why it’s never too early to start thinking about your heart health. The earlier you get tested, the sooner you’ll know where your health stands.
“You should start getting heart health screenings earlier than you would expect, and that’s in your 20s, so that you can start to get some baseline readings of the top four important indicators for thinking about your risk for heart disease,” said Celina Gorre, the CEO of women’s heart health organization WomenHeart.
In your 20s…
You should get your blood pressure checked at least every year or two at the doctor’s office, but Gorre even recommends having a blood pressure cuff at home to get used to taking your blood pressure and knowing what your normal is. “If it’s more than 120 over 80, then that’s an issue that you need to go and talk to your doctor about,” said Gorre.
You should also get your cholesterol checked. Even if you exercise regularly and eat well, your cholesterol could be high due to other genetic or physical conditions, so it’s important to get your blood tested at the doctor’s office regardless of your lifestyle, Gorre says.
Blood sugar is another key factor you should get tested for, as these levels are an indicator for diabetes, as well as your predisposition or your risk for diabetes, which has a direct impact on your risk for heart disease.
“Those two conditions kind of work side by side,” said Gorre.
Next, it’s important to pay attention to your weight and waist circumference. According to the American Heart Association, excess body fat around your waist could be an indicator of the amount of internal fat deposits that are coating the heart, kidneys, liver, digestive organs and pancreas. This can increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
In your 40s and 60s…
Women start to develop perimenopause and move into menopause when they enter their 40s, Gorre says. This causes a hormonal shift away from estrogen that can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, so it’s important to know where you stand.
“Estrogen is a protective factor in the flexibility of our cardiovascular system,” said Gorre.
In your 40s, Gorre adds that your doctor will start to assess a so-called “10-year heart disease risk score,” which seeks to answer the question: “How likely are you to have an event – a heart attack or a stroke – within the next 10 years?” This typically takes into account many of the aforementioned health factors, as well as your age and overall medical history.
Gorre also recommends speaking to your doctor about an electrocardiogram test, which can record your cardiac activity and help diagnose any potential heart conditions. She also recommends speaking to your doctor about a coronary calcium scan, which can tell you how much plaque or build up there is in your arteries that might potentially become a blockage that would then cause a heart attack.
“When they find these sorts of calcium deposits or plaque in your arteries, and if they catch it early enough, then you could avoid a heart attack,” said Gorre, adding that this can lead to the necessary interventions to ensure your heart stays healthy.
It’s also important to pay attention to your kidney health as you get older through kidney function tests. These tests can help you and your doctor understand how well your kidney is removing waste and providing the necessary hormones.
“There is a big link between diabetes, heart disease, and then kidney disease,” says Gorre. “And the important thing to know about kidney disease is that once you have symptoms of kidney disease, the disease is already super, super advanced.” Adding, “Assessing that early on helps you to manage or to stave off any future development of kidney disease that, again, has a direct impact on your heart health.”
