Why Preventative Screening
November 13, 2012
By Marilyn Martinucci, Heartscan Services
Current heart attack and stroke prevention efforts have not been successful to date. Relying on risk factors to predict heart attacks such as family history, high blood pressure, obesity, EKG and even cholesterol, is not enough. While maintaining a healthy cholesterol level is important, having a normal cholesterol score does not mean you are not at risk for a heart attack. In fact, 30% of all heart attacks are with individuals with normal cholesterol.
Screening will identify the early risks so preventative measures can be taken. Tragically, very few people without symptoms are ever advised to have a screening test and therefore hundreds of thousands of men and women unknowingly remain a ticking time bomb waiting for a sudden heart attack or stroke to occur. In addition the health crisis facing all of us and driving health care costs are these staggering statistics:
- Every 20 seconds, a person in the US has a heart attack.
- Every 40 seconds someone in the US has a stroke.
- For 50% -70% of Americans, the very first symptom of heart disease will be either sudden death or a full heart attack or stroke.
- Obesity: 1 in 6 adults are obese
- Hypertension: 1 in 3 have high blood pressure
- Diabetes : 1 in 10 adults are diabetic: 81.5 million adults have pre diabetes.
- 80% of Americans are overweight, excess weight increases all other risks for disease including heart disease and stroke.
- The medical cost for weight related diseases are in excess $75 billion a year according to the CDC.
It is important to emphasize that we are on a collision course with our health in this country. Preventive measures will directly impact the future of our health and the enormous medical costs that our society has endured due to the unhealthy state of our country. Heart attacks, strokes, obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes and hypertension can be substantially curtailed in the 21st century if the investment from treatment of the event after it occurs shifts to “prevention of the event” before it occurs.
Heartscan Services is a wellness company focusing on the prevention of heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, and obesity through screening, education and wellness programs. Its mission is to make these programs convenient by bringing them on site to Unions and Corporations, which makes it easy for members and employees to get screened, identify their risks early and prevent the catastrophic event of a heart attack or stroke. This unique mobile screening and wellness program has proven to be a great success for the Unions and their members. Heartscan Services has screened over 5,000 union members. www.heartscanservices.com
