Heart Health Check in Point Cook
A Heart Health Check works out how likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke within five years, and what you can do about it. It brings your risk factors together in one appointment.
Why one number is not enough
Heart disease and stroke often develop without symptoms, so many people at high risk feel perfectly well. Slightly raised cholesterol may matter little for one person and a lot for another who also smokes and has diabetes. Looking at all the factors together gives a truer picture and shows where effort will count most.
Who is eligible
Medicare has a specific item for Heart Health Checks for adults aged 45 and over, and for First Nations people from age 30. It can be claimed once every 12 months.
Current Australian guidelines also suggest assessing people with diabetes from age 35. If heart disease runs in your family at a young age, raise it with the doctor even if you are under 45.
What goes into the assessment
- Blood pressure, and often weight and waist measurement
- Total, HDL and LDL cholesterol
- Blood sugar or HbA1c, and sometimes kidney function
- Smoking, alcohol, eating habits and physical activity
- Your own medical history and your family’s
Blood tests
Up-to-date cholesterol and blood sugar results are needed to calculate risk. If you do not have recent ones, Dorevitch Pathology has a collection centre at the clinic where blood can be taken. Fasting is often no longer required for a cholesterol test, but check the instructions on your pathology request form. Having results ready before the check can save a second visit.
How your risk is calculated
The doctor enters your details into the Australian cardiovascular disease risk calculator, which estimates your five-year chance of a cardiovascular event, meaning a heart attack, a stroke or a related condition. Results fall into three bands: low is under 5 per cent, intermediate is 5 to under 10 per cent, and high is 10 per cent or more.
People with established heart disease, or a previous stroke, skip the calculator, because their risk is already known to be high. Some other conditions, such as familial hypercholesterolaemia, also place people in the high band.
Certain factors can move a result up or down a band, such as a strong family history of early heart disease, some ethnic backgrounds, severe mental illness, or a coronary artery calcium score from a CT scan.
Things to gather first
- Mention the purpose of the appointment when you book
- Any blood test results from another clinic or a hospital
- Ages at which relatives had heart disease, stroke or diabetes
- Your medicines, supplements and questions
Acting on the result
Low results are a reason to keep up healthy habits and recheck in the future. At intermediate or high risk, lifestyle changes matter more, and medicine to lower blood pressure or cholesterol is often recommended as well. Risk changes with age and health, so it is worth reassessing over time, especially after a new diagnosis such as diabetes. Walking most days, eating more vegetables, cutting back on salt and alcohol, and quitting smoking all help. If blood pressure needs closer attention, see Blood Pressure Check.
New symptoms should not wait for a risk check. Chest pain, breathlessness or palpitations need their own prompt appointment.
Fees and bulk billing
Out-of-pocket fees apply to most consultations, and each practitioner sets their own fees. Bulk billing is available with all our doctors for Veterans’ Affairs patients, pensioners over 65, childhood and adult immunisations and GP care plans. See our fees page or call reception before you book.