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What a Stress Test Reveals About Your Health
An ECG stress test, which is also known as an exercise stress test or a treadmill stress test, is a medical test used to evaluate the arterial blood flow to the heart during exercise.
The test can be performed in two different ways depending on the mobility of the patient. It can either be performed by having the patient walk on a treadmill or can be performed by giving the patient medication (such as dipyridamole, adenosine, or dobutamine) intravenously to stimulate the heart in the same way exercise would. The patient is then monitored with the use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a blood pressure machine.
Purpose: A patient can be ordered to have a stress test for a number of different reasons, including if the patient either has symptoms that would suggest he may have coronary artery disease (CAD) or is at high risk of having CAD. The test may also be performed in order to diagnose a patient experiencing fatigue or shortness of breath, high blood pressure, or irregular heart beats. Reliability and Limitations According to the American Heart Association, an ECG stress test's reliability is 67% meaning that the stress test is able to diagnose 2/3 of patients with having CAD. Though, 10% of patients diagnosed are found to have a false-positive. Another problem with relying solely on ECG stress tests is that they do not detect all heart attack related debilitations. It will not, for instance, detect vulnerable plaques which is a known cause of heart attacks.
Results Though these stress tests are known to have limitations, a positive stress test could indicate a high risk for heart disease and should be taken seriously. If you got a positive stress test reading, your doctor may change or initiate treatment, order further testing, and will most likely advise of a lifestyle change in which eating healthy and/or exercising regularly (to your ability) be considered. But even with a negative stress test reading, it is never a bad time to take it upon yourself to start thinking and living healthy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Frank
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