National Heart Month
February is dedicated to National Heart Month, an initiative to spread the awareness of heart disease and to encourage the nation to make small changes towards a healthier lifestyle. Currently Cardiovascular diseases are the number 1 cause of death globally, with 17.7 million people dying from cardiovascular diseases in 2015.1
Heart Disease Explained
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, but it can often largely be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. Cardiovascular disease encompasses all diseases of the heart and circulation including coronary heart disease, angina, heart disease and stroke.
Heart disease includes numerous problems, many of which are related to a process called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when plaque builds up the walls of the arteries. This build-up narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow. This causes an increased risk of blood clots which can stop the blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke.2
Early Diagnosis
It is important to get diagnosed at an early stage before a heart attack or a stroke occurs. An early diagnosis ensures that the patient receives the most effective and appropriate treatment. If not diagnosed early, heart disease can lead to strokes and heart attacks were treatment is a long and painful process that the patient may not completely recover from.
Research has shown that with significant lifestyle changes, blood flow to the heart and its ability to pump normally improve in less than a month, and the frequency of chest pains fell by 90% in that time.3 Therefore, making simple changes in what you eat, how often you exercise, how you much you weigh and how you manage stress can help put a halt to heart disease.
Randox Biosciences
Randox Biosciences offers a comprehensive range of technologies and solutions to make cardiovascular focused research become efficient, cost effective and accurate.
It is important that any risks of cardiovascular disease can be identified early to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. Randox Biosciences has over 60 cardiovascular and cerebrovascular biomarkers that can be custom picked to be assayed on our award winning Biochip Array Technology (BAT).
To help with cardiovascular research Randox Biosciences offer the Cardiac Array, which simultaneously detects up to four cardiac markers from a single patient sample, providing highly accurate quantitative results. The Randox Troponin, CK-MB, H-FABP assays within the Cardiac array all meet the ACC/ESC guidelines of <10% CV at the 99th percentile of normal range.
Suitable for use within both clinical and research settings, the Cardiac Array has a wide range of applications, which include:
- Central laboratory and research analysers available, which are suitable for all sizes of laboratories.
- 98% of rule out for MI within 3-6 hours post pain onset providing accurate results you can rely on.
- Comprehensive range of both routine and novel assays provide an excellent tool for cardiovascular disease.
- Improved risk stratification of patients with suspected ACS.
This Heart Month, we are urging the pubic to not only help raise awareness of heart disease but also educate themselves on the signs and symptoms to increase early diagnosis. As a global diagnostic company, Randox Biosciences are committed to the ongoing development of diagnostic tests, as well as our research into numerous disease areas to improve health worldwide.
To find out more email us at info@randoxbiosciences.com
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Sources:
1 – World Health Organisation
2 – Total Health
3 – WebMD
*for research use only