There is no single test to diagnose
heart disease. So when a doctor thinks a person may have heart disease, he or she can recommend several different tests and procedures. Some of these tests used to make a
heart disease diagnosis may include:
- Blood tests
- An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Stress tests
- An echocardiogram
- Nuclear heart scans
- Cardiac catheterization.
Your doctor uses your physical exam results,
heart disease risk factors, family history, and symptoms to decide which test or tests to order.
In the last several years,
heart disease research scientists have proposed another test that may be able to more accurately determine if someone is at an increased risk for heart disease. This is called a CRP
test for heart disease. A CRP test is a simple blood test that measures the level of C-reactive protein, or CRP for short, in the blood. At this point, a CRP test for heart disease is not routinely recommended, as researchers continue to study the effects of high CRP and heart disease.