Preventive Cardiology is a new subspecialty in Cardiovascular Medicine. Our Prevention Specialists are cardiologists with advanced training in identifying and lowering your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke. In addition, they can help to prevent further issues in people who already have cardiovascular disease.
Our team of doctors, physician assistants, pharmacists, dietitians, and nurses can identify risk early and tailor treatment strategies to dramatically reduce your risk of a future cardiovascular event.
Our Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease offers state-of-the-art risk assessment including:
- Advanced laboratory assessment
- Non-invasive heart imaging
- Genetic testing, when necessary to provide the most precise information about your heart health
Based on family history, lifestyle factors, and results of diagnostic and lab testing, our team will personalize a treatment strategy for you through lifestyle counseling and optimization. We have a dedicated registered dietitian who will provide dietary strategies that reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. We offer exercise counseling and also when needed we have a certified tobacco cessation specialist who can provide strategies, both with and without medication, to help you quit smoking.
Depending on your needs, occasionally medications are recommended in addition to lifestyle counseling to help you find the most effective options to lower your risk of heart disease.
Whether you have one or more risk factors that might increase your chances of a first heart attack or have previously suffered from cardiovascular disease, our experts at the Wake Forest Baptist Health Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease can help improve your quality of life and prevent future cardiovascular problems.
Call 336-716-WFHV (9348) today to schedule a consultation.
Who Should See a Preventive Cardiologist?
People most likely to benefit from seeing our Preventive Cardiology team include those with:
- A strong family history of heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease
- A personal history of cardiovascular disease, especially in people younger than 60
- Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including:
- High cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- Elevated lipoprotein(a)
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar, prediabetes, or diabetes
- Overweight
- Smoking
- Unhealthy diet
- Lack of exercise
Preventive Cardiology Services
- Evaluation by one of our cardiovascular disease prevention specialists
- Consultation with a registered dietitian for dietary interventions to manage cardiovascular risk factors
- Exercise counseling
- Tobacco cessation counseling
- Comprehensive lab testing to assess cardiovascular risk
- Advanced lipid and lipoprotein testing
- Non-invasive imaging of the heart and blood vessels, such as coronary artery calcium testing, coronary CT angiography, and ultrasound for carotid artery plaque assessment
- Stress testing
- Genetic testing
- Clinical trials provide individuals access to the latest treatment advances