Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Aortic Stenosis

Exercise Stress Test

Doctors will commonly order an exercise stress test when they believe their patient may have a problem with their heart. Of course, among these heart problems is aortic stenosis. An exercise stress test, as the name indicates, involves patients being physically active. This is typically on a treadmill with electrodes attached to them. It is an effective way to reveal symptoms of aortic stenosis in a controlled environment. One of the major symptoms it reveals is significant shortness of breath after being physically active. In addition to revealing symptoms and helping with diagnosis, an exercise stress test can also help doctors determine the severity of a patient’s aortic stenosis. Testing the severity can help doctors determine what treatment will be effective and the best choice.

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Eat A Heart-Healthy Diet

Doctors may advise individuals with mild aortic stenosis to make certain lifestyle changes, like eating a heart-healthy diet, as part of their treatment. Obesity and being overweight, even for healthy individuals, can increase the burden on their heart. This is why a heart-healthy diet, which typically contains a significant amount of whole grains, is crucial to maintain a healthy weight. Foods with whole grains include oatmeal, brown rice, and rye bread. Aortic stenosis patients should aim to eat twenty-five grams of whole grains daily. Protein in the diet should come from sources such as black beans, pintos, soybeans, garbanzos, split peas, nuts, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, and certain types of fish and shellfish.

Individuals should limit their consumption of red meat because it can cause an increase in bad cholesterol and contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. It is better to choose chicken and turkey over red meat as they contain much less saturated fat. Patients should be sure to avoid processed meat like bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats. This is because they contain too much salt to keep their blood pressure at a reasonable level.

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