How Can You Check Heart Blockage at Home?

What Can You Check for Any Heart Blockage at Home?

You cannot diagnose heart blockages at home, but you can monitor your overall cardiovascular health and look for potential signs. You can monitor your heart health at home by taking regular blood pressure readings. A normal resting heart rate for adult ranges from 60 to 100 BPM. The approaches include checking your heart rate, blood pressure, and weight. Additionally, you can monitor underlying conditions, such as shortness of breath or chest pain.

Recognising Symptoms of Heart Blockage

• Chest Pain or Discomfort: One of the key symptoms of heart blockage is discomfort or chest pain, generally indicated as a squeezing, pressure, or tightness in the chest.
• Fatigue: Experiencing unusually tired can be sign of heart problems. In case you find yourself struggling with daily routine or easily fatigue that were previously manageable then you must visit to the doctor.
• Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath, particularly during physical activity may indicate heart blockage. 
• Irregular Heartbeat: An irregular heartbeat called as cardiac arrhythmia can be sign of heart blockage. In case you notice your heart beating too fast or pounding then it is significant to monitor the sign or visit to the doctor.
• Feet, ankles or legs swelling: Swelling in the lower limbs can occur when the heart is not pumping blood sufficiently, resulting into fluid retention. This medical symptom called as edema usually observed in case of heart failure however can also be indulged with coronary artery diseases.

 How to Check Heart Blockage at Home?

• Check Your Blood Pressure: A home blood pressure monitor can help you track high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart blockages. It will also help you track daily blood pressure and identify trends. After identifying the trend, you can take immediate medical emergencies if there are serious conditions.
• Monitoring Your Heartbeat: Normal heart rate at the resting phase records between 60 BPM and 100 BPM. A resting heart rate above 100 BPM could indicate a serious heart issue. You can easily check your heartbeat rate through the pulse rate by placing fingers on your wrist or neck and counting the beats for a few minutes.
• Track Your Size and Weight: Overweight and unhealthy diets may pose the risk of the occurrence of cardiac arrest or infarction, especially in women. You must maintain a healthy weight, and a waist circumference can help reduce the risk of cardiac diseases.    
• Be Aware of the Symptoms: If you experience symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath, you must seek medical help. These symptoms are the common early signs of a cardiac problem.   
• Wear Tracking Devices: Fitness trackers in digital watches or applications on smartphones can provide continuous monitoring of the heart rate and other vital signs. This can provide detailed insight into your daily activities and cardiovascular health. Additionally, these apps will let you know of any abnormalities regarding irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure levels.  
• Use Home ECG Devices: Some portable ECG devices are available, which you can use to check and monitor rhythms regularly. These are quite affordable and will provide you with accurate results. However, it is not a complete alternative to the actual ECG device. You should not take any kind of medicine without consulting your cardiologist.
• Consult a Healthcare Professional: If you have concerns regarding your cardiovascular health, risks or complications, you can visit cardiologists. They can guide you to proper diagnostic methods and medications.  

What are the Risk Factors of a Heart Blockage?

These are some common risk factors that can increase the risk of a heart blockage:

• Age
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Metabolic syndrome
• Chronic inflammatory conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, AIDS, or psoriasis)
• High triglyceride levels
• Family history of heart-related problems.  
   

Heart Blockage Tests

If you suspect persistent palpitations or symptoms, like shortness of breath or dizziness, you must visit the doctor. They will ask you to do some diagnostic tests to check for cardiac blockages (atherosclerosis). These include:

• Lipoprotein (A) test
• Plasma Ceramides Test
• High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) Test
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Coronary Angiogram
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Troponin T Test
• Natriuretic Peptides Test
• Nuclear Cardiac Stress Test
• Coronary Angiogram
• Coronary Computed Tomography Angiogram (CCTA)
   

Plaque accumulation in the heart arteries is the common cause of heart blockage (atherosclerosis). Initially, you may not see any signs, but gradually, they will start showing symptoms.

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→ How to Prevent Heart Disease

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