A Heart Health Check is a dedicated appointment with your GP to work out your risk of having a heart attack or stroke over the next five years, and what you can do to lower it.
Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in Australia. Many of the things that lead to it, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, cause no symptoms for years. A check lets us find and manage them early.
Why look at overall risk
Rather than looking at blood pressure or cholesterol on their own, we combine your results into one cardiovascular risk score. It gives a much clearer picture of your heart health as a whole, and it helps us decide together whether you need medicine as well as lifestyle changes.
When to have one
Current Australian guidelines suggest a heart health check:
- from age 45 for most adults
- from age 35 for people with diabetes
- from age 30 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
If a close relative had a heart attack or stroke at a young age, talk to us earlier. How often you need a repeat check depends on your result, and we will tell you when to come back.
What to expect
You won’t need every test. Most checks include:
The basics
- Blood pressure. High pressure slowly damages and stiffens the arteries.
- Waist size and weight. Weight carried around the tummy is more closely linked to heart disease than weight elsewhere.
- Questions about your life: smoking, alcohol, activity, eating, sleep, stress and family history.
Blood and urine tests
- Cholesterol: “good” HDL, “bad” LDL and triglycerides (fats in the blood).
- Blood sugar (HbA1c or fasting glucose), to check for diabetes or pre-diabetes, which raise heart risk.
- Kidney function, because kidney and heart health are closely linked.
Tests some people may need
- ECG: a painless recording of the heart’s electrical activity, which can pick up irregular rhythms or signs of past damage.
- Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan: a CT scan that looks for calcium in the heart’s arteries. It can help some people whose risk sits in the middle. It is usually not covered by Medicare.
- Stress test: walking on a treadmill while your heart is monitored, usually if you have symptoms.
- Lipoprotein(a): a type of cholesterol mostly set by your genes rather than diet or exercise. If heart disease runs in your family at a young age, we may suggest a one-off blood test.
Family history
Your genes and your family’s shared habits both play a part. Knowing your family history helps us judge your risk properly, so it is worth asking relatives what you can before your appointment.
Helpful resources
- Heart Foundation: Australia’s main heart health charity. Try its online Heart Age Calculator before your appointment.
- ACRA: the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association, with resources for recovering from, and preventing, heart problems.
Heart Health Checks are privately billed. See our fees.