Cardiovascular Prevention & Wellness Program

Whether you are someone with a known history of cardiovascular disease looking to optimize your cardiovascular health  or someone with no definite diagnosis of cardiovascular disease curios about your cardiovascular risk, cardiovascular prevention care can have a positive impact on your health. Our program is for:

• Individuals older than 40 who are interested in better understanding their heart health 
• Individuals with a strong history of cardiovascular diseases in their family (i.e. heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease)
• Individuals with a personal or family history of very high cholesterol 
• Individuals who are intolerant to medications that lower cholesterol
• Individuals who are obese (BMI > 30) or overweight (BMI >25) with significant comorbidities
• Individuals with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome
• Individuals with hypertension that is difficult to control
• Individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases (i.e. rheumatologic disorders)
• Perimenopausal women considering hormonal replacement treatment

Knowing your risk is the first step in designing your journey toward a healthier heart. 

Our team will determine your personalized risk profile based on: 

• Traditional risk factors, such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure
• Targeted blood tests for metabolic disorders
• Family history and genetics
• Imaging tests of the heart and blood vessels
• Lifestyle, nutrition and social risk factors
• Additional risk factors such as sleep disorders, financial stress, depression and anxiety

This detailed evaluation enables our team to create a targeted and individualized lifestyle and medical management plan that can prevent heart disease from developing or worsening and help improve your quality of life.
 

Knowing how cardiovascular risk factors can affect different systems in your body, we partner with other specialists within Houston Methodist — including endocrinologists, nephrologists, neurologists, oncologists, pulmonologists, obstetricians and rheumatologists — to comprehensively assess your health and address conditions that might impact your overall risk. Our team coordinates the care of the different specialists who might be involved in your care.  

Primary cardiac prevention focuses on the early detection and proactive management of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. On top of these, genetic background, environmental exposures and other seemingly unrelated diseases — such as chronic inflammatory disease affecting bowels and joints — can increase an individual’s risk of developing CVD.  Preventive cardiology aims to identify and modify these factors to reduce the likelihood of heart-related issues.

Our team is committed to a personalized approach that starts with your risk assessment, based on your personal and family history, lab work and advanced imaging techniques (i.e. calcium score plus). Once your risk is assessed, we will work collaboratively to design a personalized strategy plan: Our goal is to meet your needs and preferences and provide guidance to help you reach your healthiest self.

Who should be seen within the primary prevention program?

• Individuals older than 40 who are interested in better understanding their heart health
• Individuals with a strong history of cardiovascular diseases in their family (i.e. heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease)
• Individuals with a personal or family history of very high cholesterol
• Individuals who are intolerant to medications that lower cholesterol
• Individuals who are obese (BMI > 30) or overweight (BMI >25) with significant comorbidities
• Individuals with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome
• Individuals with hypertension that is difficult to control
• Individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases (i.e. rheumatologic disorders)
• Perimenopausal women considering hormonal replacement treatment

Secondary cardiac prevention focuses on patients who have developed cardiovascular disease and aims to reduce the risk of recurrence by improving medical management and lifestyle. Our team will work closely with your primary cardiologist to ensure you receive the most effective, evidence-based care. 

With expertise in a range of cardiovascular wellness services and imaging techniques, our team will collaboratively design a care plan customized to your specific needs — helping you achieve your highest level of cardiovascular health and well-being.
 

In addition to medical management, we emphasize optimizing heart-healthy lifestyles. Our preventive cardiology experts work closely with the team to provide counseling, support and regular monitoring or checkups. These services include:

• Nutrition consultation with heart-healthy eating plans
• Weight loss help, if needed
• Referrals to a behavioral psychologist or exercise physiologist, if appropriate
• Stress-reduction practices

Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is a common condition affecting millions of adults in the U.S. and is linked to heart attacks, stroke and heart failure. Often, it does not cause symptoms and therefore up to 46% of adults with hypertension are completely unaware that they have this condition. This is significant, as regular blood pressure checks are often the only way to allow early detection and appropriate management of hypertension, ultimately preventing serious health complications.

Our expert team will help you:

• Understand your numbers and how to measure your blood pressure
• Achieve the close monitoring needed to reach your blood pressure goals
• Understand your cardiovascular risk and thus the goals you should strive for in your blood pressure management
• Make dietary and physical activity choices that can help in the management of your high blood pressure
• Identify the optimal medical treatment, when needed, to lower your blood pressure
• Manage the consequences of elevated blood pressure
• Manage resistant hypertension

Obesity can cause many of the conditions that can increase the risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes — which can double the risk of heart and blood vessel disease in men and triple this risk in women. Obesity itself is an independent risk factor for heart and blood vessel disease. For example, if a person were to gain 22 pounds, he or she might only see a slight increase in blood pressure, but this can increase the risk of heart disease by about 12%. This is why addressing obesity is key to cardiovascular prevention and cardiovascular care.

Because obesity is a complex, chronic disease, it requires multifaceted approaches that include dietary habits, physical activity, behavioral changes, medications and sometimes surgery, as well as the need to tackle comorbid conditions.

Our team is committed to helping our patients throughout their journey, offering the expertise and support needed for them to be successful. To achieve this goal, we work with other specialists across our system — including endocrinologists, nutritionists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists and bariatric surgeons — in a true interdisciplinary approach. 

Elevated cholesterol is one of the main cardiovascular risk factors. Cholesterol is the key element in the development of atherosclerosis, the process of plaque buildup that damages blood vessel walls and ultimately leads to heart attack and stroke.

Patients typically do not experience symptoms from lipid disorders or high cholesterol until a significant clinical event occurs —– such as a heart attack or a bout of pancreatitis. However, these conditions can be diagnosed prior to becoming complications, with a simple blood test. 

Our team can help patients with:

• Severely elevated cholesterol levels with or without a diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia 
• Severely elevated triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia – triglycerides greater than 1,000 mg/dL)
• Xanthomas, or skin rashes or bumps caused by high cholesterol or triglycerides
• High cholesterol with drug intolerance  
• Very elevated HDL cholesterol 
• Initiation and management of statins and non-statin therapies, including PCSK9 inhibitors
• Lipid apheresis

The cholesterol levels in your blood reveal only part of your cardiovascular risk. We monitor cholesterol because it can cause damage to the vessels supplying blood and oxygen to your organs, including your heart, potentially leading to a heart attack or stroke.

The goal is to maintain low cholesterol levels, but we can assess your risk more comprehensively by examining the existing damage in your vessels using calcium scoring and vascular screening. 

Calcium Scoring
 Calcium scoring is a non-invasive imaging technique used to determine the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) by quantifying calcium deposits in the coronary arteries. The procedure involves a computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart, utilizing a low-dose radiation protocol without the need for contrast or intravenous access. The entire process is quick, typically lasting around 15 minutes.

During the scan, we visualize and quantify the presence and extent of calcium deposits, also known as calcifications, in the coronary arteries. These deposits are indicative of atherosclerosis, the damage caused by cholesterol buildup in the arteries.

Calcium scoring provides valuable information for risk stratification, enabling early intervention and targeted preventive measures. A higher calcium score suggests an increased risk of coronary events. The results of the exam can significantly impact treatment strategies. 

Vascular Screening
Ultrasound vascular screening is a non-invasive imaging technique used in the evaluation of cardiovascular diseases. This procedure utilizes high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to generate detailed images of specific blood vessels, particularly focusing on the carotid arteries and the abdominal aorta. The objective is to assess the structure of these vessels and identify any signs of atherosclerosis.

In addition to imaging, the screening includes an evaluation of blood pressure at the ankles to screen for the presence of peripheral artery disease. A skilled technician conducts this comprehensive assessment, which typically lasts approximately 45 minutes. For optimal results, it is recommended to undergo the screening after an overnight fast.