EXERCISE TREADMILL TESTING

DETECTING HEART DISEASE

Heart disease is the most common cause of death for both men and women. Fifty percent of people with coronary heart disease find out that they have a problem when they have a heart attack with no previous symptoms. Twenty-five percent of people with heart disease will collapse and die without any previous symptoms. Twenty-five percent of people with heart disease have the warning symptom of angina pectoris. Angina is a feeling of pressure or tightness in the mid chest. Some people have pain in the neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm. Typically angina occurs after physical activity or emotional stress. It is usually relieved by rest within five minutes. People often assume that anginal pain is due to heartburn or gas, rather than an indication of heart disease.

An exercise treadmill test is helpful in the detection of heart disease. The patient walks at a gradually increasing pace and incline while his/her electrocardiogram (ECG) is monitored. The patient can stop any time if he/she tires. The exercise treadmill is quite accurate, but like any test, is not totally capable of picking up all cases of heart disease. The chance of having a major complication such as a heart attack while having an exercise test is 1 in 10,000.

The Amercian College of Cardiology recommends exercise testing in the following patients:
· Patients who are suspected of having coronary disease with chest pain or other symptoms, that are suggestive of heart disease.
· Patients with known heart disease after a heart attack, angioplasty, or the addition of heart medication.
· Patients without known or suspected heart disease that work in high risk occupations (police, firemen, pilots).
· Men over 40 or women over 50 that plan to begin a vigorous exercise program, and patients with problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure that make heart disease more likely.
· Patients with heart valve disease or heart rhythm problems to evaluate the effect of exercise on their condition.

Ask your health care provider if an exercise treadmill test would be a good idea for you.

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