CardioAge - Arterial Stiffness Testing
The health of your heart used to be evaluated by analyzing your blood pressure. In the last few years, a more accurate method was developed in which arterial stiffness is measured and analyzed. SphygmoCor is an FDA-approved device that was adopted by leading medical centers to monitor the success of blood pressure medications in improving the health of the cardiovascular system. At Youth Diagnostics™, we use the device to establish all of our patients’ baseline vascular age and observe the long-term effects of the age management treatments.
Heart diseases became the most important medical condition in the U.S., affecting more people than any other disease or illness. A person is at a special risk of developing a cardiovascular disease if they have diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, are inactive, or smoke. Risk increases with age and these conditions increase arterial stiffness, which damages the cardiovascular system. It is important to start treating these conditions early, before they result in a heart attack or a stroke.
Testing is done at the office. Within five minutes we will be able to complete the tests painlessly. Our medical assistant places a pencil-like sensor lightly against your wrist and measure blood pressure by tracking your pulse signals. The Pulse Wave Analysis system then uses this data to calculate the pressure waveform at the heart, which allows the physician to have a clearer picture of the health of your heart and related blood vessels.
A combination of diet, exercise and medications are often used in the treatment of heart disease. During your consultation at Youth Diagnostics™, we will review together treatment options if indicated to prevent and reverse heart conditions. In future appointments, we will perform the CardioAge test again to measure the success of our treatment plan.
Key CardioAge test measurements:
Augmentation Index (AIx) is used to calculate arterial stiffness.
Ejection Duration (ED) measures how long it takes the heart to pump. It allows doctors to know whether there are any problems with the heart’s functionality. If that measurement is too short, it may indicate that the heart’s blood pumping system is flawed, while longer measurements can signal an issue with the heart’s aptitude to relax.
Subendocardial Viability Ratio (SEVR) is a ratio that evaluates whether your arteries can supply the amount of energy your heart requires. When that ratio is low, energy reserve levels decrease and as a result your body cannot bear as much physical activity as other people in your age.
