Karen, a 53-year-old lady from Gorleston came for an NHS Health Check recently, very concerned about her risks due to a strong family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Karen has recently been on a weight loss journey to support her health and decrease her risk of cardiovascular disease. Through improving her diet and increasing her exercise, Karen has successfully lost 1.5 stone bringing her BMI down to 25.8. This is only marginally overweight and will continue to go down as she follows her health journey. Based on this, Karen would seem low risk for cardiovascular disease looking at her current lifestyle but, due to previous family history, she was worried.

Both of Karen’s parents and all four of her siblings have some form of cardiovascular disease whilst being in their 40s to 50’s leading to other health problems. Unfortunately, both her parents passed at a young age due to the condition.

The NHS Health Check is mainly aimed at lowering your risk of getting cardiovascular illnesses (diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels) such as heart disease and stroke. But the risk factors for heart disease and stroke are often the same as risk factors for other conditions, including preventable cancers and respiratory illness.

During an NHS Health Check, Karen found out that both her blood pressure and cholesterol were elevated, and her overall cardiovascular risk was twice the average people for her age. Based on this, a referral to her GP was made along with lots of reassurance to continue the healthy lifestyle she has adopted.

Karen knew that the likelihood of her having to start medication to control both was highly likely, but that even with her family history, she is the only family member to not have suffered any ill health. This testament to her healthy lifestyle -helping to lower risks, as well as the medications she may have to take in the future.

This was an excellent Health Check for Karen where her risks were identified before any disease could take hold and she will now get the help she needs from her GP.

If you are eligible and would like to book an NHS Health Check, click here or call 0808 175 0413