One in three South African men will have developed heart disease by the age of 60. There are many risk factors contributing to this disease. Knowing your numbers is a good place to start evaluating the health of your heart.

Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure that is required in the arteries to keep blood flowing through the body. Narrowing of smaller blood vessels and loss of elasticity or hardening of artery walls can cause high blood pressure (or hypertension) to develop.

A blood pressure test measures blood pressure in two parts: systolic pressure, that is the pressure during heart contraction; and diastolic pressure, that is the pressure between beats when the heart is relaxing. Blood pressure test results can be as follows:

    • Normal blood pressure is 120/180
    • High normal blood pressure is between 130/85 and 139/89
    • High blood pressure ranges from mild, which will be a reading of 140/90 to 159/99, to moderate with readings between 160/100 and 179/109, to severe hypertension with readings above 180/110.

Frequency of testing: every year, more often if you have a family history.

Body mass index (BMI) and maintaining a healthy weight

Being overweight is one of the key risk factors for heart disease in men and could lead to developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and even diabetes.

The BMI is used as a tool to calculate whether an individual is overweight. To calculate your BMI, divide your weight by the square of your height in metres. For example, the calculation for someone who weighs 78 kg and is 1.75 m tall will be 78 รท (1.75 x 1.75) = 25.5 as a BMI score. BMI scores are interpreted as follows:

    • A BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy
    • A score of 25 to 30 indicates overweight
    • People with a score above 30 are considered obese.

Frequency of testing: when you have noticed changes in weight or just want to keep your weight in check.

Cholesterol levels

Cholesterol is a soft, fatty substance that plays an important role in hormones and cell membranes. We don’t need to take in cholesterol as the liver produces enough for all our body’s needs, so a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol can cause high levels in the body, leading to narrowed or even blocked arteries which can result in strokes and heart attacks.

Cholesterol levels are tested with a blood test that measures the levels in milligrams per decilitre of blood. The results are normally given as a value:

    • Total cholesterol level should be less than 5
    • LDL or good cholesterol should be less than 3
    • HDL or bad cholesterol should be less than 1
    • Triglycerides should measure less than 1.7.

Frequency of testing: people with normal levels need only get tested every few years. Family history or high levels of bad cholesterol will require testing every six months.

 

Sources
communications.med.nyu.edu
www.cdc.gov
www.eatright.org
www.health24.com
www.heartfoundation.co.za