Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/474241
with type 2 diabetes had even more dramatic results, reporting that those with moderate or large areas of inadequate perfusion were six times more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, and were at 25 times higher risk for cardiac death. A SPECT scan can also be a good diagnostic test for anyone with suspected circulation problems. Its images are so clear that it shows how efficiently each heartbeat sends blood out from the heart's lower chambers. Stress Test Stress tests, also called exercise stress tests or treadmill stress tests, look at how well the heart works during exertion and helps healthcare providers evaluate patients with symptoms that only emerge when the heart is forced to pump harder and faster than usual. A stress test can also detect irregular heartbeats or blood pressure abnormalities during exercise. While stress tests are often included in annual physicals to screen healthy people for heart disease, most people don't realize that in order to "fail" the test, their coronary arteries must be at least 70 percent obstructed in one or more areas. A number of studies indicate that the stress test is a highly inaccurate vascular screening tool, prompting the U.S. Preventative Services Task to recommend against using it to check the heart health of low- risk people who lack symptoms. The test can be helpful to evaluate people with chest pain, cardiovascular disease (to assess severity or response to treatment), irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), heart failure, and congenital heart disorders, and to check the cardiovascular health and fitness of sedentary people prior to participating in exercise or sports programs. Abnormal results may indicate arrhythmia or a possible blockage in your arteries. A normal result, however, may not be as reassuring as it sounds, since a study published in Journal of the American Academy of Cardiology Abby's Magazine - March/April 2015 | Page 45 reports that "patients who have normal imaging stress tests frequently have extensive atherosclerosis." Tim Russert, NBC News's former Washington bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press, is a famous case in point. Just weeks after passing a stress test in 2008, he suffered a fatal heart attack at work, at age 58. Like 50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who die suddenly from a heart attack, he had no previous warning signs. His tragic story is a grim reminder of the importance of getting a comprehensive, personalized evaluation of cardiovascular health, rather than just relying on a single test, particularly one that's as dangerously unreliable for screening symptom-free patients as the treadmill test.