8 common diagnostic tests for the Heart #3

C-reactive protein test

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a normal protein that appears in high amounts in the blood when there is swelling somewhere in the body.

Often, doctors may check your CRP after surgery or after treatment for infections. It is thought that you would have a higher level of CRP if your coronary arteries were narrowed. This test cannot tell your doctor exactly where there is swelling only that swelling is present.

According to the American Heart Associate a CRP test would not be useful if are (once again) in the low or high risk for heart attack as it would not indicate a change in treatment either way. The CRP test can be helpful in aiding diagnosis in intermediate risk patients.

8 common  diagnostic tests for the Heart

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test

·         Stress test 

·         Nuclear stress test

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease