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Mercy cardiologist Dr. Monica Aggarwal

Mercy Cardiologist Dr. Monica Aggarwal Discusses Best Screens for Heart Health on "The Woman's Doctor"

Doctors say health screenings for women are very important when it comes to fending off heart disease., the leading cause of death in the United States.

More than 100 men and women attended Mercy Medical Center's full day of free heart health screenings.

"I felt like it was very important for me to come. I'm 24, about to become 25, and I feel like I should start now rather than later," said attendee Ariel Grayson.

"What we're doing is we're having people check their sugars, their cholesterol and their blood pressure as part of our risk profile and, basically, we look at all of those things and send them an assessment of what their risk factors are for heart disease," explained Mercy cardiologist Dr. Monica Aggarwal.

According to Dr. Aggarwal, those risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. A heart disease screening can identify those risks.

For diabetes, people can take a plasma glucose test. It's also important to know if you have a family history of the disease.

"Some people have no idea that they have diabetes, and so, if you're not getting a screening test, then you will never know,"Dr. Aggarwal said.

Many people don't get their blood pressure checked, even though they should because there are no warning signs for high blood pressure.

"A lot of people are walking around with high blood pressure or hypertension without knowing it," she said.

Other screenings for heart disease include a cholesterol blood test, a fitness balance assessment, a body-mass index check and a nutrition consultation.

The carotid ultrasound also checks for plaque in the carotid arteries in your neck.

"If you have plaque in your neck, you're likely to have plaque in other places -- in your head, your heart or your legs," Dr. Aggarwal said, adding that all the tests are important to maintain a healthy body weight.