Get preventive screening for blood pressure and cholesterol

Get regular blood pressure and cholesterol screening through your healthcare provider. Know your numbers: blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose. Begin screening by age 20 and repeat at intervals your doctor recommends.

Why It Works

All ten nations with the best cardiovascular outcomes have universal healthcare systems with strong preventive screening programs. Japan and South Korea invest heavily in population-level screening that catches hypertension and hyperlipidemia before they cause damage. The US spends more per capita on healthcare than any peer nation but has worse CVD outcomes because spending is concentrated on acute intervention, not prevention. Preventive care spending in the US declined from 3.7% to 2.9% of total health spending (2000-2018).

Tips

• Hypertension and high cholesterol are silent conditions with no symptoms until damage is done
• Early detection allows lifestyle modification before medication becomes necessary
• The cost of a screening visit is trivial compared to the cost of a cardiac event