4 techy tools to track your heart health

Patti Zapf

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By Sandra Gordon

As the nation’s number one killer, heart disease should be on your radar. It’s a scary thought, but there’s the good news:

“Eighty percent of heart disease is preventable by controlling risk factors, whether it’s medication or lifestyle changes,” said Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, co-author of “Heart Smart for Women.” “Early diagnosis is really the key to improving outcomes.”

Plus, several new tools are available to give you a fighting chance.

Wearable Heart Monitor

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How healthy is your heart? For a quick test, use a wearable heart rate monitor that fits your budget. (The one on your iPhone will do.)

A normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute.

If your heart rate is too high or low, see your doctor.

“A wearable heart rate monitor can be accurate enough to help with initial detection and signal the need for diagnostic tests,” said Jacqueline A. Eubany, MD, author of “Women and Heart Disease: The Real Story.”

AT-HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING

An estimated 70 percent of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure

(greater than 130/80.)

“Most people think blood pressure is the pressure in their arm, but in reality, it’s the pressure in every blood vessel in your body, including the pressure inside the chamber of the heart,” said cardiologist Dr. Anuj Shah.

High blood pressure is diagnosed when blood pressure—the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart beats and between beats—measures 130/80 or higher in the doctor’s office. But some people’s blood pressure naturally increases in the doctor’s office, a phenomenon known as white coat hypertension.

To diagnose high blood pressure more accurately, a digital home blood pressure monitor can help. Self-monitoring over time can be more accurate than one blood pressure reading in the doctor’s office.

Take your blood pressure at home at the same time daily. Mieres recommends taking at least two readings one minute apart each morning before medication and each evening before dinner. Keep a record and bring it to your doctor’s appointments. This type of homework can be a more accurate indicator of the need for blood pressure-lowering medication, or not.

High blood pressure doesn’t usually have signs or symptoms, but it can lead to stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Normal blood pressure of 120/80 or less is the goal.

Event Monitor

Atrial fibrillation (afib), an irregular rhythm that causes one of the heart’s chambers to beat abnormally, is a common form of heart disease. Because of abnormal blood flow, a clot can develop, causing a stroke.

“Afib is a progressive illness that can cause scarring to your heart. The longer you have it, the more difficult it can be to get your heart into a normal rhythm,” Eubany said.

If you have afib, the sooner it’s diagnosed and treated, the better.

An electrocardiogram (EKG),