Every day, the human heart pumps an average of 2,000 gallons of oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body. Over a lifetime, it beats an average of 2.5 billion times. To prioritize your heart and help reduce the risk of heart disease, you may need to see a cardiologist, a specialist who can help manage all aspects of your heart health.
If you are ready to take the next step in your cardiovascular care, make an appointment with one of our doctors at NYU Langone Heart. Contact us at 646-929-7800 or find a doctor to schedule an appointment online. After a thorough exam and diagnostic testing, a cardiologist may refer you to one of our cardiac surgeons or other heart doctors, such as a heart rhythm specialist or interventional cardiologist.
Here are some situations when you should consider seeing one of our heart care providers.
If your primary care doctor suspects a heart problem, you may be referred to a cardiologist to have your heart checked more closely. Maybe your electrocardiogram at a routine check-up yields abnormal results or a chest X-ray shows an enlarged heart. Or maybe your blood pressure or cholesterol levels are not optimal, despite treatment, and are putting you at risk of cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease.
Having a first-degree relative such as a parent or sibling who had a heart attack before age 50 can put you at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. If heart disease runs in your family, a cardiologist may use imaging tests and tools to assess your personal risk for heart disease and help you focus on prevention.
Some adults with a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that thickens the left heart ventricle walls, can find out if they are at risk of developing the disorder through NYU Langone鈥檚 Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program. People may not know they are at risk until a first-degree relative experiences a life-threatening complication from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy like heart failure or an irregular heartbeat.
If you have symptoms you cannot explain, such as shortness of breath or leg cramps that get worse when you exert yourself, heart palpitations with dizziness, or swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen, you should schedule an appointment with a cardiologist.
Note: If you suddenly experience chest pain or discomfort; pain or discomfort in your jaw, arms, or back; shortness of breath; or nausea and vomiting that lasts more than 10 minutes, you could be experiencing a heart attack. Call 911 immediately.
Childhood heart repairs can have late complications, even decades later. It鈥檚 important to be monitored by a cardiologist in adulthood. At NYU Langone鈥檚 Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, our expert team provides specialized care for people living with congenital heart conditions, whether they were diagnosed at birth or later in adulthood.
Developing high blood pressure, preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure), gestational diabetes (pregnancy-related diabetes), or giving birth preterm鈥攂efore 37 weeks鈥攃an increase risk for heart disease and stroke later in life, even if these symptoms resolve after giving birth. Specialists at NYU Langone鈥檚 Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease help women prevent and reduce their heart disease risk. Our cardiologists can closely monitor your risk factors after pregnancy, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
People who have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease than adults without diabetes. Unmanaged high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart over time. People with diabetes are also more likely to have high blood pressure and higher cholesterol levels. Doctors at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease can help people with these conditions prevent and reduce their heart disease risk.
Risk factors for heart disease can increase in menopause, which is defined as missing your period consecutively for a year at around the age of 51. They include higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels that increase the risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. This is why menopause can be an ideal time to see an NYU Langone cardiologist who specializes in women鈥檚 heart health.
Smoking and vaping can increase the risk of heart disease by damaging blood vessels. Smoking also makes your blood more prone to clotting and damages the lining of your arteries, increasing the chance of fatty plaque buildup, both of which are a setup for heart attack. Overall, smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged adults. An NYU Langone cardiologist can assess your heart and blood vessel health and refer you to one of our tobacco cessation programs.
Some cancer treatments, including radiation and anthracycline chemotherapy, may damage or strain the heart and blood vessels. An NYU Langone cardio-oncologist can help you manage your cardiovascular health to help you feel your best.
If you have been diagnosed with heart disease, you may want to see an NYU Langone cardiologist for a second opinion about your diagnosis or treatment. If your arrhythmia medications aren鈥檛 working, for example, cardiologists at our Heart Rhythm Center, leaders in the diagnosis and advanced treatment of heart rhythm disorders, can provide additional insights to make decisions about your care.
If this is your first visit to a cardiologist, bring a list of your symptoms, past medical issues, and what is bothering you about your current health to your appointment. To focus your visit, please do the following:
During this visit, NYU Langone Heart providers will check your vital signs and may withdraw blood for laboratory testing. Cardiologists may also order or perform tests such as echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, heart rhythm monitoring, or stress and nuclear stress testing. Your doctor can use your test results and the information you provide at the visit to diagnose cardiovascular disease and develop a targeted care plan.