Cardiologist

Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with diagnosis and treatment of heart disorders and diseases as well as some parts of the cardiovascular system.

Cardiologists treat both adults and children. They diagnose both congenital and acquired cardiovascular system disorders. They take care of the patients, directs them for examinations, determine the treatment method and supervise the rehabilitation of patients after cardiological procedures and surgeries.

• hypertension
• coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease or angina
• cardiomyopathies (abnormalities in the structure or function of the heart muscle)
• heart defects (mitral and aortic valve insufficiency, stenosis of the mitral and aortic valve)
• atherosclerosis
• heart failure (congestive, acute, chronic)
• arrhythmias (tachycardia, bradycardia, ventricular or atrial fibrillation)
• inflammation of the heart muscle
• myocardial infarction (heart attack)

Cardiovascular system disorders belong to the group of so called “lifestyle diseases”. Condition of our heart and coronary vessels is influenced by bad eating habits, lack of exercise, stress, and misuse of stimulants. Risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age.

You should see a cardiologist with the following symptoms:

• high blood pressure
• decline in physical performance
• shortness of breath
• chest pain, chest tightness
• changes in heart rhythm, palpitations
• dizziness, headache, hot flushes
• swelling of the face and limbs
• fainting
• suspected heart attack or heart defect

The above symptoms do not necessarily indicate heart problems, but they should not be ignored, especially when they worsen or last for a long time. Only cardiologist is able to confirm or rule out the disease.

You should also visit this specialist when you are diagnosed and undergoing treatment, have had a heart attack or have undergone cardiological surgery. Cardiologist will refer you for checkups and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.

Consultation with cardiologist consists of several stages. The first one is to observe the patient from the moment they enter the consultation room. Doctor can read a lot from the way the patient looks, moves or breathes.

The next stage is a conversation about your lifestyle, drug use, medications taken, other medical conditions and a history of cardiovascular diseases in immediate family. The most important part of the conversation are questions about your well-being, the symptoms you experience, their duration and intensity.

Then the cardiologist performs auscultation, checks blood pressure and heart rate. They also calculate the body mass index and the waist circumference of the patient, especially the obese one. These tests help with assessing condition of the circulatory system and with choosing additional tests.

Cardiologist may refer you for additional blood tests as well as non-invasive or invasive cardiac tests.

There are some blood tests which can be helpful in a diagnostic process, such as total cholesterol levels, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, glucose levels, CRP and cardiac marker levels. Non-invasive cardiac tests include ECG and echocardiogram. All these tests are used to help identify abnormalities, allow quick diagnosis and start treatment.

Regular check-ups with cardiologist will help you enjoy good health, and thus - a longer life.