What are cardiovascular risk factors?

Cardiovascular diseases are those that affect both the circulatory system and the heart. These include coronary heart disease, heart valve disease, high blood pressure, cerebrovascular accident (thrombosis or stroke) or myocardial infarction.

In Spain, these diseases are the leading cause of death, causing almost 40 percent of all deaths.

This pathology is one of the main causes of severe and prolonged disability in adults.

Why do cardiovascular diseases occur?

The common cause of this pathology is atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease characterized by the accumulation of lipids, inflammatory cells, and fibrous tissue in the arteries. Its etiology is multifactorial and complex, involving both environmental and genetic factors. Therefore, it is important to perform a complete blood count to be able to evaluate possible risk factors.

What is a blood count?

A blood count is one of the most common lab tests. After the blood is drawn, the cellular elements that are present in the blood are evaluated. Its applications are very broad, since they serve to identify pathologies and disorders such as:

• Anemia

• Alterations in the shape and composition of blood cells

• Abnormal proliferative processes such as polycythemia vera (red blood cells), leukemias (white blood cells), or primary thrombocythemia (platelets)

• Infections

• Decreased number of platelets

A basic blood count measures the following factors:

• Number of red blood cells

• Number of white blood cells

• Hemoglobin

• Hematocrit

• Medium corpuscular volume

• Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

• Platelets

• Leukocyte formula (5 populations)

It can also measure vascular risk diseases, where results that measure the following techniques will be extracted:

• Total cholesterol

• HDL (fractionated cholesterol)

• Triglycerides

• Electrocardiogram

• Includes post-consultation review (if necessary)

What is an electrocardiogram?

The electrocardiogram is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. Each beat produces an electrical activity and with an electrocardiograph you can see what that activity is like and if there are alterations in the heart rhythm.

An electrocardiogram looks at the rhythm, the regularity of the heartbeat, the size, and the position of the atria and ventricles. It can detect serious problems such as a heart attack, blockages or arrhythmias, or a series of disorders that can be very indicative for the patient.

How does an electrocardiogram work?

Electrical activity scans from the surface of the body and is represented on paper with graphical lines. These lines symbolize the electrical stimuli of the atria and ventricles.

It is a very simple test, suitable for anyone, without pain or risk, and has an estimated duration of 5 minutes.

Why is it important to have an electrocardiogram?

The results of an EKG can indicate positive results but it can also reflect abnormal results. This negative part may be due to:

• A deterioration of the myocardium.

• A congenital heart defect.

• An enlarged size of the heart.

• A myocarditis.

• Variations in the amount of potassium or calcium in the blood.

• Poor blood supply.

• Arrhythmia.

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