Half an hour could cost… or save… your life!

Every 30 minutes an Australian dies from heart disease – and it takes 30 minutes or less to conduct a Heart Health Check.

Just think of cricketing legend Shane Warne, whose life was tragically cut short last year in his early 50s by a fatal heart attack.

Heart disease is number 1 cause of death in Australia, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths across the country and over 1,600 hospitalisations every single day!

Over 2.5 million Australians are officially classified as having a high risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next five years and over half of these people will not have had a previous heart issue.

These are very scary statistics – yet heart disease (including heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease) is largely preventable.

During the COVID pandemic, many people postponed or ignored a wide range of health issues, including routine check-ups like Heart Health Checks. Now that restrictions have been removed, we have been ramping up our focus on the prevention and management of chronic conditions such as heart disease, and we strongly encourage everybody across the community to do the same.

A great place to start with heart health is understanding your risk of developing heart disease and keeping up to date with regular check-ups. Given its importance, heart health should be a key part of the routine care provided by your doctor.

Ochre Health and the Heart Foundation recommend talking to your doctor about your risk of heart disease and also your eligibility for a Heart Health Check. This is a 20-30 minute consultation with your doctor to develop a comprehensive cardiovascular disease risk assessment and also a plan for ongoing heart health management. During the consultation, your doctor will:

• Collect information to identify your risk factors (such as your diabetes status, alcohol intake, smoking status, cholesterol status and family history)
• Conduct a physical examination, including measuring you blood pressure
• Take actions to address any modifiable risk factors, potentially including prescribing medications to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Develop a plan with you for the ongoing assessment and management of your risk of heart disease
• Give you preventative health care advice and information, including ideas on how you could change lifestyle factors like exercise and diet

Before you see your doctor, you can also do your own 3 minute self-assessment of the health of your heart to get an idea of your risk of a heart attack or stroke by using the Heart Foundation’sHeart Age Calculator – MyHeartAge.org 

If your result shows your heart is aging faster than you are, we recommend booking an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible!