en-Cove

will manifest the symptoms of

high blood pressure. On the other

hand, if a person with no family

history of high blood pressure or

diabetes does not take care of his

health, puts on weight, does not

exercise, consumes tobacco, he/she

can become easily susceptible to

diseases which their forefathers did

not have,” says Dr. Menon. “The

latest diagnostic tools and tests are

a guide. Ultimately, a person has

to follow a healthy lifestyle if he or

she aspires to be healthy.”

HEART DISEASE

SCREENING

For acquired heart diseases

due to cardiovascular disorders

like atherosclerosis, the most

important test Dr. Menon suggests

is ‘serum cholesterol’. “Cholesterol

is a vital chemical in the body

that forms a part of all the cell

membranes,” he explains and it

is also an important part of food.

Dr. Menon further says that there

are sub-fractions of cholesterol

known as HDL, LDL and VLDL.

“The LDL form of cholesterol is

considered the dangerous fraction

and higher levels have been shown

to be directly linked to heart

disease,” he notes. Interestingly

almost a third of patients who

report with myocardial infarction

have normal lipid profiles. “At

our lab we sub-fractionate LDL

to seven sub-fractions and it is

the later sub-fractions such as 5,

6 and 7 which are the small sticky

LDL’s that are extremely dangerous

as they stick to the blood vessels

causing atherosclerosis and thus

coronary artery disease. We are the

only lab in the UAE which offers

this test in-house,” he explains. The

earlier LDL sub-fractions 1 to 4

actually protect from heart disease.

The direct LDL test, which is done

as part of a lipid profile, may not

really be indicative of the specific

danger of an individual suffering

from heart disease. Therefore,

Dr. Menon recommends first and

foremost, a person should do the

cholesterol test to determine the

total cholesterol. Then one should

opt for lipid profile and if the lipid

profile is normal and the patient

does not have a history of cardiac

disease, then he or she can be

considered to be safe. “However,

in individuals with a history of

cardiac disease or diabetes, even

if the lipid profile is normal, I

would personally advise a lipid

sub-fractionation test as that will

give him or her the exact LDL sub

types that causes coronary vascular

disease. With added information

from the LDL sub fractionation

test your doctor can help you with

strategies to reverse heart disease

early”.

ROUTINE TESTS

For a person who has had heart

related issues in the past, first and

foremost, Dr. Menon advises that

the individual undergo regular

health checkups with a physician,

have his blood pressure checked

on a fairly regular basis and have

his or her lipid profile done fairly

regularly every six months. If the

person has diabetes, he should get

a HbA1C test done every three

months. CRP is another interesting

test which has been shown to have

a direct correlation with heart

disease.

TOP SUGGESTED

BLOOD TESTS FOR

MALES OVER 50

Dr. Menon explains that the top

tests can be divided based on

gender. “In males, the biggest

dangers are diabetes and heart

disease and men should constantly

be on the lookout for these,” he

says. Regular health checkups

especially for HbA1C, Lipid

Profiles, Total Cholesterol, Kidney

function tests and liver function

tests should be carried out. “Also,

I would recommend that elderly

males over age 50 undergo

periodic testing for prostate

specific antigen in order to ensure

that in case it is increased, one can

take appropriate measures,” he

tells.

TOP

SUGGESTED

BLOOD TESTS

FOR FEMALES

OVER 50

Younger women are relatively

protected from heart disease

as compared to males, tells

Dr. Menon. “However, once

menopause sets in, women

have, if not greater, at least

an equal risk of heart disease,

when compared to the male

gender,” he says, therefore

they should also undergo

regular medical checkups, get

their BMI done regularly, have

their blood pressure, lipid

profiles and HbA1C checked

regularly. Women are also at

risk of thyroid disease. Testing

for thyroid function should

be carried out especially if

there is a history of rapid

weight gain. In terms of

cancer screening, Dr. Menon

advises it is very important

to do a self-breast exam on

a regular basis as well as a

mammogram every alternate

year. “They should also

undergo a regular cervical pap

smear and testing for human

papilloma virus once in three

years,” he says and all these

will hopefully give them an

enhanced awareness of their

lifestyle and help them lead a

healthy and happy life.

Jan/Feb 2016